1966 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Fire Horse
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Horse 马
Element
Yang Fire
Stem-branch
丙午 Bing-Wu
Zodiac year
Jan 21, 1966 to Feb 8, 1967
The 1966 Year of the Yang Fire Horse (丙午) began on Friday, January 21, 1966, and lasted until February 8, 1967. Births from January 1 to January 20, 1966, the first 20 days of 1966, belonged to the Wood Snake year. Its Chinese New Year, Jan 21, is among the earliest possible (the earliest from 1900 to 2100 is Jan 21). The lunar year has a leap 3rd month, starting Apr 21, 1966, so it runs 384 days. It contains two Start of Spring terms (Feb 4, 1966 and Feb 4, 1967), which folk custom calls a "double spring" year.
Which animal for a 1966 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 14:37 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Jan 20, 1966 | Wood Snake | Wood Snake |
| Jan 21 to Feb 4, 1966, before 14:37 | Fire Horse | Wood Snake |
| Feb 4, 1966, from 14:37, to Dec 31 | Fire Horse | Fire Horse |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 1966 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Fire Horse (1966)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Wood Snake (1965)
Chinese New Year 1966: 1966-01-21. Lichun 1966: 1966-02-04 14:37 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 1966 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 1966 was 14:37 Beijing time on February 4, 1966. In New York that was 01:37 on the same date.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 4, 1966 | 14:37 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 4, 1966 | 14:37 |
| Taipei | Feb 4, 1966 | 14:37 |
| Singapore | Feb 4, 1966 | 14:07 |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 1966 | 15:37 |
| Tokyo | Feb 4, 1966 | 15:37 |
| London | Feb 4, 1966 | 06:37 |
| New York | Feb 4, 1966 | 01:37 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 3, 1966(day before) | 22:37 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 1966 | 16:37 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 1966, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 1966 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Jan 21, 1966 |
| Lantern Festival | Feb 4, 1966 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 5, 1966 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 23, 1966 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 22, 1966 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 30, 1966 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 29, 1966 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 22, 1966 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 22, 1966 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 18, 1967 |
The Horse and 丙午 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. 1966's own element, Fire, comes from the Heavenly Stem 丙. All Years of the Horse.
丙午 is the 43rd year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1906 (see the Year of the Horse table), 2026 and 2086 (see the Year of the Horse table).
Lunar months of the 1966 lunar year
13 months, including a leap 3rd month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Jan 21, 1966 | 30 |
| 2nd month | Feb 20, 1966 | 30 |
| 3rd month | Mar 22, 1966 | 30 |
| Leap 3rd month | Apr 21, 1966 | 29 |
| 4th month | May 20, 1966 | 30 |
| 5th month | Jun 19, 1966 | 29 |
| 6th month | Jul 18, 1966 | 29 |
| 7th month | Aug 16, 1966 | 30 |
| 8th month | Sep 15, 1966 | 29 |
| 9th month | Oct 14, 1966 | 29 |
| 10th month | Nov 12, 1966 | 30 |
| 11th month | Dec 12, 1966 | 30 |
| 12th month | Jan 11, 1967 | 29 |
The 24 solar terms in 1966
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 | 02:54 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 20 | 20:19 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 4 | 14:37 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 19 | 10:37 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 6 | 08:51 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 21 | 09:52 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 5 | 13:56 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 21:11 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 6 | 07:30 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 20:32 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 6 | 11:49 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 22 | 04:33 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 22:06 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 23 | 15:23 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 8 | 07:48 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 22:17 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 8 | 10:32 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 23 | 19:43 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 9 | 01:56 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 24 | 04:50 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 8 | 04:55 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 23 | 02:14 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 21:37 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 22 | 15:28 |
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 1966?
The Year of the Horse began on January 21, 1966. Anyone born from January 1 to January 20, 1966 belongs to the previous year, the Wood Snake (乙巳); anyone born on or after January 21, 1966 is a Fire Horse. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Horse year began at 14:37 China Standard Time on February 4, 1966 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 1966 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Thursday, September 29, 1966. The next one, on September 18, 1967, comes 11 days earlier in the Gregorian calendar, because no leap month falls between the two.
Did the 1966 lunar year have a leap month?
Yes. A leap 3rd month followed the regular 3rd month, starting April 21, 1966 and lasting 29 days, so the lunar year has 13 months and 384 days.
What element is 1966 in the Chinese zodiac?
1966 is a Yang Fire year: its Heavenly Stem 丙 (Bing) carries Fire, and its Earthly Branch 午 (Wu) is the Horse. Together they make 丙午, the 43rd year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 1966?
Chinese New Year came first. Births from January 21, 1966 until Lichun (February 4, 1966 at 14:37) are a Fire Horse under the popular New Year rule but a Wood Snake 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.