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Chinese New Year 1992
Tuesday, 4 February 1992. It opened the Year of the Water Monkey, 壬申, which ran until 22 January 1993.
- New Year's Eve3 February 1992
- New Year's Day4 February 1992
- Lantern Festival18 February 1992
- Animal and elementWater Monkey 水猴, Yang
- Year ends22 January 1993; the next new year is 23 January 1993
What the Monkey year carries
The Monkey
Clever, playful and inventive. The Monkey solves problems sideways and keeps everyone laughing while it does.
Sun Wukong, the Monkey King of Journey to the West, is the most loved character in Chinese literature.
Water 水
Water years are associated with adaptability and depth: rivers finding their way. Water years favour adaptability: plans that bend, conversations that flow, patience with the long way round.
The pairing of stem and branch, 壬申, returns once every sixty years; the last Water Monkey year was 1932, the next is 2052.
The 1992 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1992 only.
| Day | Date in 1992 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 27 January 1992 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 3 February 1992, Monday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 4 February 1992, Tuesday | The Year of the Monkey begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 5 February 1992 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 8 February 1992 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 18 February 1992, Tuesday | 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 1992
1992 is a Water Monkey year, 壬申, the 9th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1932 and comes again in 2052; the previous Monkey year was 1980, the next is 2004. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 剑锋金.
New Year's Day fell on a Tuesday; the reunion dinner was the Monday evening before. The festival landed on 4 February in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Born in 1992?
Between 4 February 1992 and 22 January 1993 you are a Water Monkey.
Anyone born from 4 February 1992 to 22 January 1993 is a Water Monkey (壬申) and turns 34 in 2026. Clever, playful and inventive. The Monkey solves problems sideways and keeps everyone laughing while it does. Water years favour adaptability: plans that bend, conversations that flow, patience with the long way round.
Born in January or early February 1992, before the 4 February 1992 new year? Then the previous animal, the Goat, 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 Monkey comes round again) are 2004, 2016, 2028, 2040, 2052; the next one is 2028. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Monkey best are the Rat, the Dragon and the Snake: 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.
- 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
- 199115 February 1991, Metal Goat
- 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
- 199828 January 1998, Earth Tiger
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1992?
Tuesday, 4 February 1992. New Year's Eve was 3 February 1992, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 18 February 1992.
What animal is 1992 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Monkey. From 4 February 1992 to 22 January 1993 it was the year of the Water Monkey (壬申). Before 4 February 1992, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Goat.
How old is someone born in 1992?
Someone born in the Year of the Monkey 1992 turns 34 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 2004, 2016, 2028, 2040.
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 Monkey 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 Monkey 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.