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Chinese New Year 1991
Friday, 15 February 1991. It opened the Year of the Metal Goat, 辛未, which ran until 3 February 1992.
- New Year's Eve14 February 1991
- New Year's Day15 February 1991
- Lantern Festival1 March 1991
- Animal and elementMetal Goat 金羊, Yin
- Year ends3 February 1992; the next new year is 4 February 1992
What the Goat year carries
The Goat
Kind, creative and calm. The Goat is the artist of the cycle, drawn to beauty and to taking care of people.
The character 羊 sits inside 美, the character for beauty, and 善, the character for kindness.
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, 辛未, returns once every sixty years; the last Metal Goat year was 1931, the next is 2051.
The 1991 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1991 only.
| Day | Date in 1991 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 7 February 1991 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 14 February 1991, Thursday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 15 February 1991, Friday | The Year of the Goat begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 16 February 1991 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 19 February 1991 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 1 March 1991, Friday | 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 1991
1991 is a Metal Goat year, 辛未, the 8th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1931 and comes again in 2051; the previous Goat year was 1979, the next is 2003. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 路旁土.
New Year's Day fell on a Friday; the reunion dinner was the Thursday evening before. The festival landed on 15 February in the Western calendar, close to the latest it can fall.
Born in 1991?
Between 15 February 1991 and 3 February 1992 you are a Metal Goat.
Anyone born from 15 February 1991 to 3 February 1992 is a Metal Goat (辛未) and turns 35 in 2026. Kind, creative and calm. The Goat is the artist of the cycle, drawn to beauty and to taking care of people. Metal years favour decisiveness and finishing: clean cuts, clear words, things brought to a conclusion.
Born in January or early February 1991, before the 15 February 1991 new year? Then the previous animal, the Horse, 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 Goat comes round again) are 2003, 2015, 2027, 2039, 2051; the next one is 2027. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Goat best are the Rabbit, the Pig and the Horse: 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.
- 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
- 199027 January 1990, Metal Horse
- 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
- 19977 February 1997, Fire Ox
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1991?
Friday, 15 February 1991. New Year's Eve was 14 February 1991, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 1 March 1991.
What animal is 1991 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Goat. From 15 February 1991 to 3 February 1992 it was the year of the Metal Goat (辛未). Before 15 February 1991, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Horse.
How old is someone born in 1991?
Someone born in the Year of the Goat 1991 turns 35 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 2003, 2015, 2027, 2039.
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 Goat 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 Goat 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.