1942 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Water Horse
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Horse 马
Element
Yang Water
Stem-branch
壬午 Ren-Wu
Zodiac year
Feb 15, 1942 to Feb 4, 1943
The 1942 Year of the Yang Water Horse (壬午) began on Sunday, February 15, 1942, and lasted until February 4, 1943. Births from January 1 to February 14, 1942, the first 45 days of 1942, belonged to the Metal Snake year. It has 12 lunar months and 355 days, with no leap month. It contains no Start of Spring term at all, which folk custom calls a "blind year".
Which animal for a 1942 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 18:48 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Feb 4, 1942, before 18:48 | Metal Snake | Metal Snake |
| Feb 4, 1942, from 18:48, to Feb 14 | Metal Snake | Water Horse |
| Feb 15 to Dec 31, 1942 | Water Horse | Water Horse |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 1942 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Metal Snake (1941)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Metal Snake (1941)
Chinese New Year 1942: 1942-02-15. Lichun 1942: 1942-02-04 18:48 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 1942 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 1942 was 18:48 Beijing time on February 4, 1942. In New York that was 04:48 on the same date.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 4, 1942 | 18:48 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 4, 1942 | 18:48 |
| Taipei | Feb 4, 1942 | 18:48 |
| Singapore | Feb 4, 1942 | 17:18 |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 1942 | 18:48 |
| Tokyo | Feb 4, 1942 | 18:48 |
| London | Feb 4, 1942 | 10:48 |
| New York | Feb 4, 1942 | 04:48 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 4, 1942 | 01:48 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 1942 | 20:48 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 1942, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 1942 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Feb 15, 1942 |
| Lantern Festival | Mar 1, 1942 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 5, 1942 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 18, 1942 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 18, 1942 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 26, 1942 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 24, 1942 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 18, 1942 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 22, 1942 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 13, 1943 |
The Horse and 壬午 in the calendar
The Horse is the Earthly Branch 午 (Wu); it also marks the double hour from 11 am to 1 pm, the direction South and the fixed element Fire. 1942's own element, Water, comes from the Heavenly Stem 壬. All Years of the Horse.
壬午 is the 19th year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 2002 and 2062 (see the Year of the Horse table).
Lunar months of the 1942 lunar year
12 months, no leap month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Feb 15, 1942 | 30 |
| 2nd month | Mar 17, 1942 | 29 |
| 3rd month | Apr 15, 1942 | 30 |
| 4th month | May 15, 1942 | 30 |
| 5th month | Jun 14, 1942 | 29 |
| 6th month | Jul 13, 1942 | 30 |
| 7th month | Aug 12, 1942 | 29 |
| 8th month | Sep 10, 1942 | 30 |
| 9th month | Oct 10, 1942 | 29 |
| 10th month | Nov 8, 1942 | 30 |
| 11th month | Dec 8, 1942 | 29 |
| 12th month | Jan 6, 1943 | 30 |
The 24 solar terms in 1942
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 | 07:02 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 21 | 00:23 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 4 | 18:48 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 19 | 14:46 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 6 | 13:09 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 21 | 14:10 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 5 | 18:23 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 21 | 01:39 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 6 | 12:06 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 22 | 01:08 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 6 | 16:32 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 22 | 09:16 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 8 | 02:51 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 23 | 20:07 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 8 | 12:30 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 24 | 02:58 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 8 | 15:06 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 24 | 00:16 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 9 | 06:21 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 24 | 09:15 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 8 | 09:11 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 23 | 06:30 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 8 | 01:46 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 22 | 19:39 |
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 1942?
The Year of the Horse began on February 15, 1942. Anyone born from January 1 to February 14, 1942 belongs to the previous year, the Metal Snake (辛巳); anyone born on or after February 15, 1942 is a Water Horse. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Horse year began at 18:48 China Standard Time on February 4, 1942 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 1942 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Thursday, September 24, 1942. The next one, on September 14, 1943, comes 10 days earlier in the Gregorian calendar, because no leap month falls between the two.
Did the 1942 lunar year have a leap month?
No. The 1942 lunar year has 12 months and 355 days: 7 long months of 30 days and 5 short months of 29 days.
What element is 1942 in the Chinese zodiac?
1942 is a Yang Water year: its Heavenly Stem 壬 (Ren) carries Water, and its Earthly Branch 午 (Wu) is the Horse. Together they make 壬午, the 19th year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 1942?
Lichun came first, on February 4, 1942 at 18:48. Births from then until February 14, 1942 are a Metal Snake under the popular New Year rule but a Water Horse 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.