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1956 Chinese zodiac: Year of the Monkey
1956 is the year of the Fire Monkey, 丙申: from Chinese New Year on 12 February 1956 to 30 January 1957.
Clever, playful and inventive. The Monkey solves problems sideways and keeps everyone laughing while it does. Fire years favour energy and visibility: bold moves, warm company, the spotlight.
The Fire Monkey
Element
Fire years are associated with warmth and drive: summer, lanterns, the hearth. In the sixty-year cycle each animal meets each element once, so the Fire Monkey came last in 1896 and returns in 2016. The year's 纳音 (the "sound" of its stem and branch in the old almanacs) is 山下火.
Company
The Monkey shares a trine with the Rat and the Dragon; its secret friend is the Snake. Those signs are said to find a Monkey year easiest. Sun Wukong, the Monkey King of Journey to the West, is the most loved character in Chinese literature.
Years of the Monkey
Each starts at Chinese New Year.
- 1932Water Monkey, from 6 February 1932
- 1944Wood Monkey, from 25 January 1944
- 1956Fire Monkey, from 12 February 1956
- 1968Earth Monkey, from 30 January 1968
- 1980Metal Monkey, from 16 February 1980
- 1992Water Monkey, from 4 February 1992
- 2004Wood Monkey, from 22 January 2004
- 2016Fire Monkey, from 8 February 2016
- 2028Earth Monkey, from 26 January 2028
- 2040Metal Monkey, from 12 February 2040
Born in 1956?
Between 12 February 1956 and 30 January 1957 you are a Fire Monkey.
Anyone born from 12 February 1956 to 30 January 1957 is a Fire Monkey (丙申) and turns 70 in 2026. Clever, playful and inventive. The Monkey solves problems sideways and keeps everyone laughing while it does. Fire years favour energy and visibility: bold moves, warm company, the spotlight.
Born in January or early February 1956, before the 12 February 1956 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 1968, 1980, 1992, 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.
Questions
What is the Chinese zodiac for 1956?
1956 is the Year of the Fire Monkey. Anyone born from 12 February 1956 to 30 January 1957 is a Monkey; a birthday earlier in 1956, before Chinese New Year, belongs to the Goat.
When does the Year of the Monkey 1956 start and end?
It starts at Chinese New Year, 12 February 1956, and ends on 30 January 1957, the day before the next new year.
What element is the Monkey in 1956?
Fire (火), from the heavenly stem 丙. Fire years are associated with warmth and drive: summer, lanterns, the hearth.
Is a baby born in January 1956 a Monkey?
No. A baby born before 12 February 1956 belongs to the previous animal, the Goat. The zodiac year follows the lunar calendar, not 1 January.
Which other years were Fire Monkey years?
2016. The same stem and branch return every sixty years.
Your Monkey in ink
The Monkey painted in ink wash above your name and lunar birthday.
Make the poster
Enter your birthday; we set the animal, the element, the lunar date and your name, and add a Chinese name as a seal if you have one.
Start with my birthdayMore about the animal: Year of the Monkey. All twelve: the zodiac.