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Chinese New Year 2013
Sunday, 10 February 2013. It opened the Year of the Water Snake, 癸巳, which ran until 30 January 2014.
- New Year's Eve9 February 2013
- New Year's Day10 February 2013
- Lantern Festival24 February 2013
- Animal and elementWater Snake 水蛇, Yin
- Year ends30 January 2014; the next new year is 31 January 2014
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.
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, 癸巳, returns once every sixty years; the last Water Snake year was 1953, the next is 2073.
The 2013 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 2013 only.
| Day | Date in 2013 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 3 February 2013 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 9 February 2013, Saturday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 10 February 2013, Sunday | The Year of the Snake begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 11 February 2013 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 14 February 2013 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 24 February 2013, Sunday | 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 2013
2013 is a Water Snake year, 癸巳, the 30th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1953 and comes again in 2073; the previous Snake year was 2001, the next is 2025. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 长流水.
New Year's Day fell on a Sunday, so the reunion dinner on 9 February 2013 landed on a Saturday evening. The festival landed on 10 February in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Born in 2013?
Between 10 February 2013 and 30 January 2014 you are a Water Snake.
Anyone born from 10 February 2013 to 30 January 2014 is a Water Snake (癸巳) and turns 13 in 2026. Thoughtful, elegant and private. The Snake is called the little dragon; it is the sign of wisdom that watches before it speaks. Water years favour adaptability: plans that bend, conversations that flow, patience with the long way round.
Born in January or early February 2013, before the 10 February 2013 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 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.
- 200718 February 2007, Fire Pig
- 20087 February 2008, Earth Rat
- 200926 January 2009, Earth Ox
- 201014 February 2010, Metal Tiger
- 20113 February 2011, Metal Rabbit
- 201223 January 2012, Water Dragon
- 201431 January 2014, Wood Horse
- 201519 February 2015, Wood Goat
- 20168 February 2016, Fire Monkey
- 201728 January 2017, Fire Rooster
- 201816 February 2018, Earth Dog
- 20195 February 2019, Earth Pig
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 2013?
Sunday, 10 February 2013. New Year's Eve was 9 February 2013, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 24 February 2013.
What animal is 2013 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Snake. From 10 February 2013 to 30 January 2014 it was the year of the Water Snake (癸巳). Before 10 February 2013, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Dragon.
How old is someone born in 2013?
Someone born in the Year of the Snake 2013 turns 13 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 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.