Cathay Ink › Chinese New Year › 1985
Chinese New Year 1985
Wednesday, 20 February 1985. It opened the Year of the Wood Ox, 乙丑, which ran until 8 February 1986.
- New Year's Eve19 February 1985
- New Year's Day20 February 1985
- Lantern Festival6 March 1985
- Animal and elementWood Ox 木牛, Yin
- Year ends8 February 1986; the next new year is 9 February 1986
What the Ox year carries
The Ox
Steady, patient and dependable. The Ox finishes what it starts and is trusted with what matters; in farming China it was the family's most valuable companion.
The Ox would have won the river race, but carried the Rat across and came second without complaint.
Wood 木
Wood years are associated with growth and flexibility: spring, bamboo, new shoots. Wood years favour growth and beginnings: planting, building, the first steps of long projects.
The pairing of stem and branch, 乙丑, returns once every sixty years; the last Wood Ox year was 1925, the next is 2045.
The 1985 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1985 only.
| Day | Date in 1985 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 12 February 1985 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 19 February 1985, Tuesday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 20 February 1985, Wednesday | The Year of the Ox begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 21 February 1985 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 24 February 1985 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 6 March 1985, Wednesday | First full moon: lanterns, riddles, sweet rice balls. The season closes. |
In mainland China the public holiday usually runs from the eve for seven or eight days; Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia each keep their own, shorter, holiday. How the days are kept, in more detail: the traditions.
What is particular to 1985
1985 is a Wood Ox year, 乙丑, the 2th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1925 and comes again in 2045; the previous Ox year was 1973, the next is 1997. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 海中金.
New Year's Day fell on a Wednesday; the reunion dinner was the Tuesday evening before. The festival landed on 20 February in the Western calendar, close to the latest it can fall.
Born in 1985?
Between 20 February 1985 and 8 February 1986 you are a Wood Ox.
Anyone born from 20 February 1985 to 8 February 1986 is a Wood Ox (乙丑) and turns 41 in 2026. Steady, patient and dependable. The Ox finishes what it starts and is trusted with what matters; in farming China it was the family's most valuable companion. Wood years favour growth and beginnings: planting, building, the first steps of long projects.
Born in January or early February 1985, before the 20 February 1985 new year? Then the previous animal, the Rat, is yours: the zodiac follows the lunar calendar, not 1 January. The zodiac calculator settles it from the exact date.
Your zodiac years (本命年, when the Ox comes round again) are 1997, 2009, 2021, 2033, 2045, 2057; the next one is 2033. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit an Ox best are the Snake, the Rooster and the Rat: the compatibility table has every pair.
Chinese New Year in other years
The second new moon after the winter solstice, so it moves between 21 January and 20 February. Every year from 1924 to 2050.
- 197928 January 1979, Earth Goat
- 198016 February 1980, Metal Monkey
- 19815 February 1981, Metal Rooster
- 198225 January 1982, Water Dog
- 198313 February 1983, Water Pig
- 19842 February 1984, Wood Rat
- 19869 February 1986, Fire Tiger
- 198729 January 1987, Fire Rabbit
- 198817 February 1988, Earth Dragon
- 19896 February 1989, Earth Snake
- 199027 January 1990, Metal Horse
- 199115 February 1991, Metal Goat
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1985?
Wednesday, 20 February 1985. New Year's Eve was 19 February 1985, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 6 March 1985.
What animal is 1985 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Ox. From 20 February 1985 to 8 February 1986 it was the year of the Wood Ox (乙丑). Before 20 February 1985, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Rat.
How old is someone born in 1985?
Someone born in the Year of the Ox 1985 turns 41 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1997, 2009, 2021, 2033, 2045.
Why does the date change every year?
The festival falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, so it moves between 21 January and 20 February on the Western calendar.
How long does Chinese New Year last?
Fifteen days, from New Year's Day to the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth of the first lunar month. Most people have a week of public holiday in mainland China.
Born in an Ox year?
Your animal depends on the exact date, not the calendar year.
Find your animal
Enter your birthday and we count it by the lunar calendar: the animal, its element, your lunar birth date and your next zodiac year.
Chinese zodiac calculatorWant the Ox in ink on your wall? The zodiac poster sets the animal above your name and lunar birthday. Giving a Chinese name this new year? Three real names, free.