Cathay Ink › Chinese New Year › 1987
Chinese New Year 1987
Thursday, 29 January 1987. It opened the Year of the Fire Rabbit, 丁卯, which ran until 16 February 1988.
- New Year's Eve28 January 1987
- New Year's Day29 January 1987
- Lantern Festival12 February 1987
- Animal and elementFire Rabbit 火兔, Yin
- Year ends16 February 1988; the next new year is 17 February 1988
What the Rabbit year carries
The Rabbit
Gentle, tactful and perceptive. The Rabbit prefers harmony to confrontation and tends to be the one everyone confides in.
The Jade Rabbit lives on the moon, pounding the elixir of life under the osmanthus tree; look for it at Mid-Autumn.
Fire 火
Fire years are associated with warmth and drive: summer, lanterns, the hearth. Fire years favour energy and visibility: bold moves, warm company, the spotlight.
The pairing of stem and branch, 丁卯, returns once every sixty years; the last Fire Rabbit year was 1927, the next is 2047.
The 1987 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1987 only.
| Day | Date in 1987 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 22 January 1987 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 28 January 1987, Wednesday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 29 January 1987, Thursday | The Year of the Rabbit begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 30 January 1987 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 2 February 1987 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 12 February 1987, Thursday | 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 1987
1987 is a Fire Rabbit year, 丁卯, the 4th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1927 and comes again in 2047; the previous Rabbit year was 1975, the next is 1999. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 炉中火.
New Year's Day fell on a Thursday; the reunion dinner was the Wednesday evening before. The festival landed on 29 January in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Born in 1987?
Between 29 January 1987 and 16 February 1988 you are a Fire Rabbit.
Anyone born from 29 January 1987 to 16 February 1988 is a Fire Rabbit (丁卯) and turns 39 in 2026. Gentle, tactful and perceptive. The Rabbit prefers harmony to confrontation and tends to be the one everyone confides in. Fire years favour energy and visibility: bold moves, warm company, the spotlight.
Born in January or early February 1987, before the 29 January 1987 new year? Then the previous animal, the Tiger, 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 Rabbit comes round again) are 1999, 2011, 2023, 2035, 2047, 2059; the next one is 2035. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Rabbit best are the Goat, the Pig and the Dog: 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.
- 19815 February 1981, Metal Rooster
- 198225 January 1982, Water Dog
- 198313 February 1983, Water Pig
- 19842 February 1984, Wood Rat
- 198520 February 1985, Wood Ox
- 19869 February 1986, Fire Tiger
- 198817 February 1988, Earth Dragon
- 19896 February 1989, Earth Snake
- 199027 January 1990, Metal Horse
- 199115 February 1991, Metal Goat
- 19924 February 1992, Water Monkey
- 199323 January 1993, Water Rooster
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1987?
Thursday, 29 January 1987. New Year's Eve was 28 January 1987, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 12 February 1987.
What animal is 1987 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Rabbit. From 29 January 1987 to 16 February 1988 it was the year of the Fire Rabbit (丁卯). Before 29 January 1987, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Tiger.
How old is someone born in 1987?
Someone born in the Year of the Rabbit 1987 turns 39 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1999, 2011, 2023, 2035, 2047.
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 a Rabbit 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 Rabbit 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.