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Chinese New Year 1988
Wednesday, 17 February 1988. It opened the Year of the Earth Dragon, 戊辰, which ran until 5 February 1989.
- New Year's Eve16 February 1988
- New Year's Day17 February 1988
- Lantern Festival2 March 1988
- Animal and elementEarth Dragon 土龙, Yang
- Year ends5 February 1989; the next new year is 6 February 1989
What the Dragon year carries
The Dragon
Confident, ambitious and generous. The only mythical animal in the cycle, the Dragon brings rain and good harvests; emperors took it as their emblem.
Dragon years see a rise in births across the Chinese-speaking world: parents plan for them.
Earth 土
Earth years are associated with steadiness and care: harvest, soil, the centre. Earth years favour steadiness: consolidating, caring for what is already there, the harvest of earlier work.
The pairing of stem and branch, 戊辰, returns once every sixty years; the last Earth Dragon year was 1928, the next is 2048.
The 1988 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1988 only.
| Day | Date in 1988 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 10 February 1988 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 16 February 1988, Tuesday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 17 February 1988, Wednesday | The Year of the Dragon begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 18 February 1988 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 21 February 1988 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 2 March 1988, 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 1988
1988 is an Earth Dragon year, 戊辰, the 5th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1928 and comes again in 2048; the previous Dragon year was 1976, the next is 2000. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 大林木.
New Year's Day fell on a Wednesday; the reunion dinner was the Tuesday evening before. The festival landed on 17 February in the Western calendar, close to the latest it can fall.
Born in 1988?
Between 17 February 1988 and 5 February 1989 you are an Earth Dragon.
Anyone born from 17 February 1988 to 5 February 1989 is an Earth Dragon (戊辰) and turns 38 in 2026. Confident, ambitious and generous. The only mythical animal in the cycle, the Dragon brings rain and good harvests; emperors took it as their emblem. Earth years favour steadiness: consolidating, caring for what is already there, the harvest of earlier work.
Born in January or early February 1988, before the 17 February 1988 new year? Then the previous animal, the Rabbit, 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 Dragon comes round again) are 2000, 2012, 2024, 2036, 2048, 2060; the next one is 2036. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Dragon best are the Rat, the Monkey and the Rooster: 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.
- 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
- 198729 January 1987, Fire Rabbit
- 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
- 199410 February 1994, Wood Dog
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1988?
Wednesday, 17 February 1988. New Year's Eve was 16 February 1988, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 2 March 1988.
What animal is 1988 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Dragon. From 17 February 1988 to 5 February 1989 it was the year of the Earth Dragon (戊辰). Before 17 February 1988, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Rabbit.
How old is someone born in 1988?
Someone born in the Year of the Dragon 1988 turns 38 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 2000, 2012, 2024, 2036, 2048.
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 Dragon 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 Dragon 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.