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Chinese New Year 1989
Monday, 6 February 1989. It opened the Year of the Earth Snake, 己巳, which ran until 26 January 1990.
- New Year's Eve5 February 1989
- New Year's Day6 February 1989
- Lantern Festival20 February 1989
- Animal and elementEarth Snake 土蛇, Yin
- Year ends26 January 1990; the next new year is 27 January 1990
What the Snake year carries
The Snake
Thoughtful, elegant and private. The Snake is called the little dragon; it is the sign of wisdom that watches before it speaks.
The White Snake of West Lake, who took human form for love, is one of China's four great folk tales.
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, 己巳, returns once every sixty years; the last Earth Snake year was 1929, the next is 2049.
The 1989 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1989 only.
| Day | Date in 1989 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 30 January 1989 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 5 February 1989, Sunday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 6 February 1989, Monday | The Year of the Snake begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 7 February 1989 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 10 February 1989 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 20 February 1989, Monday | 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 1989
1989 is an Earth Snake year, 己巳, the 6th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1929 and comes again in 2049; the previous Snake year was 1977, the next is 2001. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 大林木.
New Year's Day fell on a Monday; the reunion dinner was the Sunday evening before. The festival landed on 6 February in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Born in 1989?
Between 6 February 1989 and 26 January 1990 you are an Earth Snake.
Anyone born from 6 February 1989 to 26 January 1990 is an Earth Snake (己巳) and turns 37 in 2026. Thoughtful, elegant and private. The Snake is called the little dragon; it is the sign of wisdom that watches before it speaks. Earth years favour steadiness: consolidating, caring for what is already there, the harvest of earlier work.
Born in January or early February 1989, before the 6 February 1989 new year? Then the previous animal, the Dragon, 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 Snake comes round again) are 2001, 2013, 2025, 2037, 2049, 2061; the next one is 2037. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Snake best are the Ox, the Rooster and the Monkey: 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.
- 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
- 198817 February 1988, Earth Dragon
- 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
- 199531 January 1995, Wood Pig
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1989?
Monday, 6 February 1989. New Year's Eve was 5 February 1989, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 20 February 1989.
What animal is 1989 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Snake. From 6 February 1989 to 26 January 1990 it was the year of the Earth Snake (己巳). Before 6 February 1989, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Dragon.
How old is someone born in 1989?
Someone born in the Year of the Snake 1989 turns 37 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 2001, 2013, 2025, 2037, 2049.
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 Snake 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 Snake 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.