1955 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Wood Goat
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Goat (Sheep) 羊
Element
Yin Wood
Stem-branch
乙未 Yi-Wei
Zodiac year
Jan 24, 1955 to Feb 11, 1956
The 1955 Year of the Yin Wood Goat (乙未) began on Monday, January 24, 1955, and lasted until February 11, 1956. Births from January 1 to January 23, 1955, the first 23 days of 1955, belonged to the Wood Horse year. The lunar year has a leap 3rd month, starting Apr 22, 1955, so it runs 384 days. It contains two Start of Spring terms (Feb 4, 1955 and Feb 5, 1956), which folk custom calls a "double spring" year.
Which animal for a 1955 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 22:17 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Jan 23, 1955 | Wood Horse | Wood Horse |
| Jan 24 to Feb 4, 1955, before 22:17 | Wood Goat | Wood Horse |
| Feb 4, 1955, from 22:17, to Dec 31 | Wood Goat | Wood Goat |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 1955 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Wood Goat (1955)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Wood Horse (1954)
Chinese New Year 1955: 1955-01-24. Lichun 1955: 1955-02-04 22:17 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 1955 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 1955 was 22:17 Beijing time on February 4, 1955. In New York that was 09:17 on the same date.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 4, 1955 | 22:17 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 4, 1955 | 22:17 |
| Taipei | Feb 4, 1955 | 22:17 |
| Singapore | Feb 4, 1955 | 21:47 |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 1955 | 22:47 |
| Tokyo | Feb 4, 1955 | 23:17 |
| London | Feb 4, 1955 | 14:17 |
| New York | Feb 4, 1955 | 09:17 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 4, 1955 | 06:17 |
| Sydney | Feb 5, 1955 | 00:17 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 1955, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 1955 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Jan 24, 1955 |
| Lantern Festival | Feb 7, 1955 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 5, 1955 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 24, 1955 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 24, 1955 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Sep 1, 1955 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 30, 1955 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 24, 1955 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 22, 1955 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 20, 1956 |
The Goat and 乙未 in the calendar
The Goat is the Earthly Branch 未 (Wei); it also marks the double hour from 1 pm to 3 pm, the direction South-southwest and the fixed element Earth. 1955's own element, Wood, comes from the Heavenly Stem 乙. All Years of the Goat.
乙未 is the 32nd year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 2015 and 2075 (see the Year of the Goat table).
Lunar months of the 1955 lunar year
13 months, including a leap 3rd month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Jan 24, 1955 | 29 |
| 2nd month | Feb 22, 1955 | 30 |
| 3rd month | Mar 24, 1955 | 29 |
| Leap 3rd month | Apr 22, 1955 | 30 |
| 4th month | May 22, 1955 | 29 |
| 5th month | Jun 20, 1955 | 29 |
| 6th month | Jul 19, 1955 | 30 |
| 7th month | Aug 18, 1955 | 29 |
| 8th month | Sep 16, 1955 | 30 |
| 9th month | Oct 16, 1955 | 29 |
| 10th month | Nov 14, 1955 | 30 |
| 11th month | Dec 14, 1955 | 30 |
| 12th month | Jan 13, 1956 | 30 |
The 24 solar terms in 1955
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 | 10:35 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 21 | 04:01 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 4 | 22:17 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 19 | 18:18 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 6 | 16:30 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 21 | 17:35 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 5 | 21:38 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 21 | 04:57 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 6 | 15:17 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 22 | 04:24 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 6 | 19:43 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 22 | 12:31 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 8 | 06:05 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 23 | 23:24 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 8 | 15:50 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 24 | 06:18 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 8 | 18:31 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 24 | 03:40 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 9 | 09:52 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 24 | 12:43 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 8 | 12:45 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 23 | 10:00 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 8 | 05:22 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 22 | 23:10 |
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 1955?
The Year of the Goat began on January 24, 1955. Anyone born from January 1 to January 23, 1955 belongs to the previous year, the Wood Horse (甲午); anyone born on or after January 24, 1955 is a Wood Goat. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Goat year began at 22:17 China Standard Time on February 4, 1955 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 1955 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Friday, September 30, 1955. The next one, on September 19, 1956, comes 11 days earlier in the Gregorian calendar, because no leap month falls between the two.
Did the 1955 lunar year have a leap month?
Yes. A leap 3rd month followed the regular 3rd month, starting April 22, 1955 and lasting 30 days, so the lunar year has 13 months and 384 days.
What element is 1955 in the Chinese zodiac?
1955 is a Yin Wood year: its Heavenly Stem 乙 (Yi) carries Wood, and its Earthly Branch 未 (Wei) is the Goat. Together they make 乙未, the 32nd year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 1955?
Chinese New Year came first. Births from January 24, 1955 until Lichun (February 4, 1955 at 22:17) are a Wood Goat under the popular New Year rule but a Wood 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.