1956 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Fire Monkey
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Monkey 猴
Element
Yang Fire
Stem-branch
丙申 Bing-Shen
Zodiac year
Feb 12, 1956 to Jan 30, 1957
The 1956 Year of the Yang Fire Monkey (丙申) began on Sunday, February 12, 1956, and lasted until January 30, 1957. Births from January 1 to February 11, 1956, the first 42 days of 1956, belonged to the Wood Goat year. It has 12 lunar months and 354 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 1956 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 04:11 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Feb 5, 1956, before 04:11 | Wood Goat | Wood Goat |
| Feb 5, 1956, from 04:11, to Feb 11 | Wood Goat | Fire Monkey |
| Feb 12 to Dec 31, 1956 | Fire Monkey | Fire Monkey |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 1956 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Wood Goat (1955)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Fire Monkey (1956)
Chinese New Year 1956: 1956-02-12. Lichun 1956: 1956-02-05 04:11 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 1956 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 1956 was 04:11 Beijing time on February 5, 1956. In New York that was 15:11 on February 4, 1956, the day before, so a baby born in New York on Feb 4 at or after 15:11 is a Fire Monkey under the Lichun rule.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 5, 1956 | 04:11 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 5, 1956 | 04:11 |
| Taipei | Feb 5, 1956 | 04:11 |
| Singapore | Feb 5, 1956 | 03:41 |
| Seoul | Feb 5, 1956 | 04:41 |
| Tokyo | Feb 5, 1956 | 05:11 |
| London | Feb 4, 1956(day before) | 20:11 |
| New York | Feb 4, 1956(day before) | 15:11 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 4, 1956(day before) | 12:11 |
| Sydney | Feb 5, 1956 | 06:11 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 1956, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 1956 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Feb 12, 1956 |
| Lantern Festival | Feb 26, 1956 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 5, 1956 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 13, 1956 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 12, 1956 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 20, 1956 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 19, 1956 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 12, 1956 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 22, 1956 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 8, 1957 |
The Monkey and 丙申 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. 1956's own element, Fire, comes from the Heavenly Stem 丙. All Years of the Monkey.
丙申 is the 33rd year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 2016 and 2076 (see the Year of the Monkey table).
Lunar months of the 1956 lunar year
12 months, no leap month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Feb 12, 1956 | 29 |
| 2nd month | Mar 12, 1956 | 30 |
| 3rd month | Apr 11, 1956 | 29 |
| 4th month | May 10, 1956 | 30 |
| 5th month | Jun 9, 1956 | 29 |
| 6th month | Jul 8, 1956 | 29 |
| 7th month | Aug 6, 1956 | 30 |
| 8th month | Sep 5, 1956 | 29 |
| 9th month | Oct 4, 1956 | 30 |
| 10th month | Nov 3, 1956 | 29 |
| 11th month | Dec 2, 1956 | 30 |
| 12th month | Jan 1, 1957 | 30 |
The 24 solar terms in 1956
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 | 16:30 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 21 | 09:48 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 5 | 04:11 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 20 | 00:04 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 5 | 22:24 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 20 | 23:20 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 5 | 03:31 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 10:43 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 5 | 21:09 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 10:12 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 6 | 01:35 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 21 | 18:23 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 11:57 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 23 | 05:19 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 7 | 21:40 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 12:14 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 8 | 00:18 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 23 | 09:35 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 15:35 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 23 | 18:34 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 7 | 18:25 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 15:49 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 11:02 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 22 | 04:59 |
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 1956?
The Year of the Monkey began on February 12, 1956. Anyone born from January 1 to February 11, 1956 belongs to the previous year, the Wood Goat (乙未); anyone born on or after February 12, 1956 is a Fire Monkey. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Monkey year began at 04:11 China Standard Time on February 5, 1956 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 1956 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Wednesday, September 19, 1956. The next one, on September 8, 1957, comes 11 days earlier in the Gregorian calendar, because no leap month falls between the two.
Did the 1956 lunar year have a leap month?
No. The 1956 lunar year has 12 months and 354 days: 6 long months of 30 days and 6 short months of 29 days.
What element is 1956 in the Chinese zodiac?
1956 is a Yang Fire year: its Heavenly Stem 丙 (Bing) carries Fire, and its Earthly Branch 申 (Shen) is the Monkey. Together they make 丙申, the 33rd year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 1956?
Lichun came first, on February 5, 1956 at 04:11. Births from then until February 11, 1956 are a Wood Goat under the popular New Year rule but a Fire 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.