1959 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Earth Pig
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Pig 猪
Element
Yin Earth
Stem-branch
己亥 Ji-Hai
Zodiac year
Feb 8, 1959 to Jan 27, 1960
The 1959 Year of the Yin Earth Pig (己亥) began on Sunday, February 8, 1959, and lasted until January 27, 1960. Births from January 1 to February 7, 1959, the first 38 days of 1959, belonged to the Earth Dog 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 1959 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 21:42 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Feb 4, 1959, before 21:42 | Earth Dog | Earth Dog |
| Feb 4, 1959, from 21:42, to Feb 7 | Earth Dog | Earth Pig |
| Feb 8 to Dec 31, 1959 | Earth Pig | Earth Pig |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 1959 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Earth Dog (1958)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Earth Dog (1958)
Chinese New Year 1959: 1959-02-08. Lichun 1959: 1959-02-04 21:42 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 1959 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 1959 was 21:42 Beijing time on February 4, 1959. In New York that was 08:42 on the same date.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 4, 1959 | 21:42 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 4, 1959 | 21:42 |
| Taipei | Feb 4, 1959 | 21:42 |
| Singapore | Feb 4, 1959 | 21:12 |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 1959 | 22:12 |
| Tokyo | Feb 4, 1959 | 22:42 |
| London | Feb 4, 1959 | 13:42 |
| New York | Feb 4, 1959 | 08:42 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 4, 1959 | 05:42 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 1959 | 23:42 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 1959, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 1959 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Feb 8, 1959 |
| Lantern Festival | Feb 22, 1959 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 5, 1959 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 10, 1959 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 10, 1959 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 18, 1959 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 17, 1959 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 10, 1959 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 22, 1959 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 6, 1960 |
The Pig and 己亥 in the calendar
The Pig is the Earthly Branch 亥 (Hai); it also marks the double hour from 9 pm to 11 pm, the direction North-northwest and the fixed element Water. 1959's own element, Earth, comes from the Heavenly Stem 己. All Years of the Pig.
己亥 is the 36th year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 2019 and 2079 (see the Year of the Pig table).
Lunar months of the 1959 lunar year
12 months, no leap month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Feb 8, 1959 | 29 |
| 2nd month | Mar 9, 1959 | 30 |
| 3rd month | Apr 8, 1959 | 30 |
| 4th month | May 8, 1959 | 29 |
| 5th month | Jun 6, 1959 | 30 |
| 6th month | Jul 6, 1959 | 29 |
| 7th month | Aug 4, 1959 | 30 |
| 8th month | Sep 3, 1959 | 29 |
| 9th month | Oct 2, 1959 | 30 |
| 10th month | Nov 1, 1959 | 29 |
| 11th month | Nov 30, 1959 | 30 |
| 12th month | Dec 30, 1959 | 29 |
The 24 solar terms in 1959
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 | 09:58 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 21 | 03:18 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 4 | 21:42 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 19 | 17:37 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 6 | 15:56 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 21 | 16:54 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 5 | 21:03 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 21 | 04:16 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 6 | 14:38 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 22 | 03:42 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 6 | 19:00 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 22 | 11:49 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 8 | 05:19 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 23 | 22:45 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 8 | 15:04 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 24 | 05:43 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 8 | 17:47 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 24 | 03:08 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 9 | 09:09 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 24 | 12:10 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 8 | 12:02 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 23 | 09:26 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 8 | 04:37 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 22 | 22:34 |
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 1959?
The Year of the Pig began on February 8, 1959. Anyone born from January 1 to February 7, 1959 belongs to the previous year, the Earth Dog (戊戌); anyone born on or after February 8, 1959 is an Earth Pig. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Pig year began at 21:42 China Standard Time on February 4, 1959 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 1959 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Thursday, September 17, 1959. The next one, on October 5, 1960, comes 18 days later in the Gregorian calendar, because a leap month falls between the two.
Did the 1959 lunar year have a leap month?
No. The 1959 lunar year has 12 months and 354 days: 6 long months of 30 days and 6 short months of 29 days.
What element is 1959 in the Chinese zodiac?
1959 is a Yin Earth year: its Heavenly Stem 己 (Ji) carries Earth, and its Earthly Branch 亥 (Hai) is the Pig. Together they make 己亥, the 36th year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 1959?
Lichun came first, on February 4, 1959 at 21:42. Births from then until February 7, 1959 are an Earth Dog under the popular New Year rule but an Earth 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.