1920 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Metal Monkey
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Monkey 猴
Element
Yang Metal
Stem-branch
庚申 Geng-Shen
Zodiac year
Feb 20, 1920 to Feb 7, 1921
The 1920 Year of the Yang Metal Monkey (庚申) began on Friday, February 20, 1920, and lasted until February 7, 1921. Births from January 1 to February 19, 1920, the first 50 days of 1920, belonged to the Earth Goat year. Its Chinese New Year, Feb 20, is among the latest possible (the latest from 1900 to 2100 is Feb 20). It has 12 lunar months and 354 days, with no leap month. It contains one Start of Spring term (Feb 4, 1921).
Which animal for a 1920 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 10:26 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Feb 5, 1920, before 10:26 | Earth Goat | Earth Goat |
| Feb 5, 1920, from 10:26, to Feb 19 | Earth Goat | Metal Monkey |
| Feb 20 to Dec 31, 1920 | Metal Monkey | Metal Monkey |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 1920 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Earth Goat (1919)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Metal Monkey (1920)
Chinese New Year 1920: 1920-02-20. Lichun 1920: 1920-02-05 10:26 Beijing time. The New Year rule compares your birth date with the New Year date; the Lichun rule compares the exact moment, converted from your local time.
Lichun 1920 in other time zones
The same moment in local time. Under the Lichun rule, a birth at or after this local time takes the new animal.
Lichun 1920 was 10:26 Beijing time on February 5, 1920. In New York that was 21:26 on February 4, 1920, the day before, so a baby born in New York on Feb 4 at or after 21:26 is a Metal Monkey under the Lichun rule.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 5, 1920 | 10:26 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 5, 1920 | 10:26 |
| Taipei | Feb 5, 1920 | 10:26 |
| Singapore | Feb 5, 1920 | 09:26 |
| Seoul | Feb 5, 1920 | 11:26 |
| Tokyo | Feb 5, 1920 | 11:26 |
| London | Feb 5, 1920 | 02:26 |
| New York | Feb 4, 1920(day before) | 21:26 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 4, 1920(day before) | 18:26 |
| Sydney | Feb 5, 1920 | 12:26 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 1920, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 1920 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Feb 20, 1920 |
| Lantern Festival | Mar 5, 1920 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 5, 1920 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 20, 1920 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 20, 1920 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 28, 1920 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 26, 1920 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 20, 1920 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 22, 1920 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 16, 1921 |
The Monkey and 庚申 in the calendar
The Monkey is the Earthly Branch 申 (Shen); it also marks the double hour from 3 pm to 5 pm, the direction West-southwest and the fixed element Metal. 1920's own element, Metal, comes from the Heavenly Stem 庚. All Years of the Monkey.
庚申 is the 57th year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1980 and 2040.
Lunar months of the 1920 lunar year
12 months, no leap month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Feb 20, 1920 | 29 |
| 2nd month | Mar 20, 1920 | 30 |
| 3rd month | Apr 19, 1920 | 29 |
| 4th month | May 18, 1920 | 29 |
| 5th month | Jun 16, 1920 | 30 |
| 6th month | Jul 16, 1920 | 29 |
| 7th month | Aug 14, 1920 | 29 |
| 8th month | Sep 12, 1920 | 30 |
| 9th month | Oct 12, 1920 | 29 |
| 10th month | Nov 10, 1920 | 30 |
| 11th month | Dec 10, 1920 | 30 |
| 12th month | Jan 9, 1921 | 30 |
The 24 solar terms in 1920
Beijing time. The 12 terms marked with a month begin the solar months that the Four Pillars use; Lichun opens the year. What each term means.
| Solar term | Date | Time | Four Pillars month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor Cold 小寒 Xiaohan | Jan 6 | 22:40 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 21 | 16:04 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 5 | 10:26 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 20 | 06:28 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 6 | 04:51 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 21 | 05:59 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 5 | 10:14 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 17:39 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 6 | 04:11 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 17:21 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 6 | 08:50 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 22 | 01:39 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 19:18 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 23 | 12:34 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 8 | 04:58 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 19:21 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 8 | 07:26 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 23 | 16:28 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 22:29 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 24 | 01:12 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 8 | 01:04 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 22:15 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 17:30 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 22 | 11:16 |
Dates are checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables; times are calculated. A dash means the term falls within minutes of midnight, where the calculated time and the Observatory's date disagree; the Observatory's date is shown.
FAQ
What Chinese zodiac sign is someone born in January or February 1920?
The Year of the Monkey began on February 20, 1920. Anyone born from January 1 to February 19, 1920 belongs to the previous year, the Earth Goat (己未); anyone born on or after February 20, 1920 is a Metal Monkey. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Monkey year began at 10:26 China Standard Time on February 5, 1920 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 1920 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Sunday, September 26, 1920. The next one, on September 16, 1921, comes 10 days earlier in the Gregorian calendar, because no leap month falls between the two.
Did the 1920 lunar year have a leap month?
No. The 1920 lunar year has 12 months and 354 days: 6 long months of 30 days and 6 short months of 29 days.
What element is 1920 in the Chinese zodiac?
1920 is a Yang Metal year: its Heavenly Stem 庚 (Geng) carries Metal, and its Earthly Branch 申 (Shen) is the Monkey. Together they make 庚申, the 57th year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 1920?
Lichun came first, on February 5, 1920 at 10:26. Births from then until February 19, 1920 are an Earth Goat under the popular New Year rule but a Metal Monkey under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule.
Nearby years
Dates are calculated with astronomical algorithms in China Standard Time (UTC+8) and checked against the Hong Kong Observatory, Gregorian-Lunar Calendar Conversion Table. Zodiac information describes the traditional calendar and is not a prediction.