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Chinese New Year 1990
Saturday, 27 January 1990. It opened the Year of the Metal Horse, 庚午, which ran until 14 February 1991.
- New Year's Eve26 January 1990
- New Year's Day27 January 1990
- Lantern Festival10 February 1990
- Animal and elementMetal Horse 金马, Yang
- Year ends14 February 1991; the next new year is 15 February 1991
What the Horse year carries
The Horse
Energetic, independent and straightforward. The Horse loves open space and company in equal measure, and is happiest in motion.
马到成功, "success as soon as the horse arrives", is the wish written on Horse-year greetings.
Metal 金
Metal years are associated with resolve and clarity: the edge of a blade, the ring of a bell. Metal years favour decisiveness and finishing: clean cuts, clear words, things brought to a conclusion.
The pairing of stem and branch, 庚午, returns once every sixty years; the last Metal Horse year was 1930, the next is 2050.
The 1990 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1990 only.
| Day | Date in 1990 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 19 January 1990 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 26 January 1990, Friday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 27 January 1990, Saturday | The Year of the Horse begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 28 January 1990 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 31 January 1990 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 10 February 1990, Saturday | 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 1990
1990 is a Metal Horse year, 庚午, the 7th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1930 and comes again in 2050; the previous Horse year was 1978, the next is 2002. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 路旁土.
New Year's Day fell on a Saturday, so the reunion dinner on 26 January 1990 landed on a Friday evening. The festival landed on 27 January in the Western calendar, one of the earlier dates it can take.
Born in 1990?
Between 27 January 1990 and 14 February 1991 you are a Metal Horse.
Anyone born from 27 January 1990 to 14 February 1991 is a Metal Horse (庚午) and turns 36 in 2026. Energetic, independent and straightforward. The Horse loves open space and company in equal measure, and is happiest in motion. Metal years favour decisiveness and finishing: clean cuts, clear words, things brought to a conclusion.
Born in January or early February 1990, before the 27 January 1990 new year? Then the previous animal, the Snake, 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 Horse comes round again) are 2002, 2014, 2026, 2038, 2050, 2062; the next one is 2026. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Horse best are the Tiger, the Dog and the Goat: 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.
- 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
- 19896 February 1989, Earth Snake
- 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
- 199619 February 1996, Fire Rat
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1990?
Saturday, 27 January 1990. New Year's Eve was 26 January 1990, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 10 February 1990.
What animal is 1990 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Horse. From 27 January 1990 to 14 February 1991 it was the year of the Metal Horse (庚午). Before 27 January 1990, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Snake.
How old is someone born in 1990?
Someone born in the Year of the Horse 1990 turns 36 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 2002, 2014, 2026, 2038, 2050.
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 Horse 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 Horse 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.