1936 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Fire Rat
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Rat 鼠
Element
Yang Fire
Stem-branch
丙子 Bing-Zi
Zodiac year
Jan 24, 1936 to Feb 10, 1937
The 1936 Year of the Yang Fire Rat (丙子) began on Friday, January 24, 1936, and lasted until February 10, 1937. Births from January 1 to January 23, 1936, the first 23 days of 1936, belonged to the Wood Pig year. The lunar year has a leap 3rd month, starting Apr 21, 1936, so it runs 384 days. It contains two Start of Spring terms (Feb 5, 1936 and Feb 4, 1937), which folk custom calls a "double spring" year.
Which animal for a 1936 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 07:29 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Jan 23, 1936 | Wood Pig | Wood Pig |
| Jan 24 to Feb 5, 1936, before 07:29 | Fire Rat | Wood Pig |
| Feb 5, 1936, from 07:29, to Dec 31 | Fire Rat | Fire Rat |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 1936 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Fire Rat (1936)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Fire Rat (1936)
Chinese New Year 1936: 1936-01-24. Lichun 1936: 1936-02-05 07:29 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 1936 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 1936 was 07:29 Beijing time on February 5, 1936. In New York that was 18:29 on February 4, 1936, the day before, so a baby born in New York on Feb 4 at or after 18:29 is a Fire Rat under the Lichun rule.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 5, 1936 | 07:29 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 5, 1936 | 07:29 |
| Taipei | Feb 5, 1936 | 07:29 |
| Singapore | Feb 5, 1936 | 06:49 |
| Seoul | Feb 5, 1936 | 08:29 |
| Tokyo | Feb 5, 1936 | 08:29 |
| London | Feb 4, 1936(day before) | 23:29 |
| New York | Feb 4, 1936(day before) | 18:29 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 4, 1936(day before) | 15:29 |
| Sydney | Feb 5, 1936 | 09:29 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 1936, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 1936 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Jan 24, 1936 |
| Lantern Festival | Feb 7, 1936 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 5, 1936 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 23, 1936 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 23, 1936 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 31, 1936 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 30, 1936 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 23, 1936 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 22, 1936 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 20, 1937 |
The Rat and 丙子 in the calendar
The Rat is the Earthly Branch 子 (Zi); it also marks the double hour from 11 pm to 1 am, the direction North and the fixed element Water. 1936's own element, Fire, comes from the Heavenly Stem 丙. All Years of the Rat.
丙子 is the 13th year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1996 and 2056 (see the Year of the Rat table).
Lunar months of the 1936 lunar year
13 months, including a leap 3rd month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Jan 24, 1936 | 30 |
| 2nd month | Feb 23, 1936 | 29 |
| 3rd month | Mar 23, 1936 | 29 |
| Leap 3rd month | Apr 21, 1936 | 30 |
| 4th month | May 21, 1936 | 29 |
| 5th month | Jun 19, 1936 | 29 |
| 6th month | Jul 18, 1936 | 30 |
| 7th month | Aug 17, 1936 | 30 |
| 8th month | Sep 16, 1936 | 29 |
| 9th month | Oct 15, 1936 | 30 |
| 10th month | Nov 14, 1936 | 30 |
| 11th month | Dec 14, 1936 | 30 |
| 12th month | Jan 13, 1937 | 29 |
The 24 solar terms in 1936
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 | 19:46 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 21 | 13:12 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 5 | 07:29 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 20 | 03:33 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 6 | 01:49 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 21 | 02:57 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 5 | 07:06 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 14:31 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 6 | 00:56 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 14:07 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 6 | 05:30 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 21 | 22:21 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 15:58 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 23 | 09:17 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 8 | 01:43 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 16:10 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 8 | 04:20 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 23 | 13:25 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 19:32 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 23 | 22:18 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 7 | 22:14 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 19:25 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 14:42 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 22 | 08:26 |
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 1936?
The Year of the Rat began on January 24, 1936. Anyone born from January 1 to January 23, 1936 belongs to the previous year, the Wood Pig (乙亥); anyone born on or after January 24, 1936 is a Fire Rat. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Rat year began at 07:29 China Standard Time on February 5, 1936 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 1936 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Wednesday, September 30, 1936. The next one, on September 19, 1937, comes 11 days earlier in the Gregorian calendar, because no leap month falls between the two.
Did the 1936 lunar year have a leap month?
Yes. A leap 3rd month followed the regular 3rd month, starting April 21, 1936 and lasting 30 days, so the lunar year has 13 months and 384 days.
What element is 1936 in the Chinese zodiac?
1936 is a Yang Fire year: its Heavenly Stem 丙 (Bing) carries Fire, and its Earthly Branch 子 (Zi) is the Rat. Together they make 丙子, the 13th year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 1936?
Chinese New Year came first. Births from January 24, 1936 until Lichun (February 5, 1936 at 07:29) are a Fire Rat under the popular New Year rule but a Wood Pig 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.