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Chinese New Year 1996
Monday, 19 February 1996. It opened the Year of the Fire Rat, 丙子, which ran until 6 February 1997.
- New Year's Eve18 February 1996
- New Year's Day19 February 1996
- Lantern Festival4 March 1996
- Animal and elementFire Rat 火鼠, Yang
- Year ends6 February 1997; the next new year is 7 February 1997
What the Rat year carries
The Rat
Quick, resourceful and sociable. The Rat opens the cycle: it is the sign of beginnings, of noticing the opening before anyone else and slipping through it.
In the race that fixed the order of the zodiac, the Rat rode across the river on the Ox's back and leapt ahead at the bank to finish first.
Fire 火
Fire years are associated with warmth and drive: summer, lanterns, the hearth. Fire years favour energy and visibility: bold moves, warm company, the spotlight.
The pairing of stem and branch, 丙子, returns once every sixty years; the last Fire Rat year was 1936, the next is 2056.
The 1996 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1996 only.
| Day | Date in 1996 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 11 February 1996 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 18 February 1996, Sunday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 19 February 1996, Monday | The Year of the Rat begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 20 February 1996 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 23 February 1996 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 4 March 1996, 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 1996
1996 is a Fire Rat year, 丙子, the 13th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1936 and comes again in 2056; the previous Rat year was 1984, the next is 2008. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 涧下水.
New Year's Day fell on a Monday; the reunion dinner was the Sunday evening before. The festival landed on 19 February in the Western calendar, close to the latest it can fall.
Born in 1996?
Between 19 February 1996 and 6 February 1997 you are a Fire Rat.
Anyone born from 19 February 1996 to 6 February 1997 is a Fire Rat (丙子) and turns 30 in 2026. Quick, resourceful and sociable. The Rat opens the cycle: it is the sign of beginnings, of noticing the opening before anyone else and slipping through it. Fire years favour energy and visibility: bold moves, warm company, the spotlight.
Born in January or early February 1996, before the 19 February 1996 new year? Then the previous animal, the Pig, 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 Rat comes round again) are 2008, 2020, 2032, 2044, 2056; the next one is 2032. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Rat best are the Dragon, the Monkey and the Ox: 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.
- 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
- 19977 February 1997, Fire Ox
- 199828 January 1998, Earth Tiger
- 199916 February 1999, Earth Rabbit
- 20005 February 2000, Metal Dragon
- 200124 January 2001, Metal Snake
- 200212 February 2002, Water Horse
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1996?
Monday, 19 February 1996. New Year's Eve was 18 February 1996, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 4 March 1996.
What animal is 1996 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Rat. From 19 February 1996 to 6 February 1997 it was the year of the Fire Rat (丙子). Before 19 February 1996, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Pig.
How old is someone born in 1996?
Someone born in the Year of the Rat 1996 turns 30 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 2008, 2020, 2032, 2044.
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 Rat 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 Rat 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.