1970 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Metal Dog
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Dog 狗
Element
Yang Metal
Stem-branch
庚戌 Geng-Xu
Zodiac year
Feb 6, 1970 to Jan 26, 1971
The 1970 Year of the Yang Metal Dog (庚戌) began on Friday, February 6, 1970, and lasted until January 26, 1971. Births from January 1 to February 5, 1970, the first 36 days of 1970, belonged to the Earth Rooster 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 1970 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 13:45 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Feb 4, 1970, before 13:45 | Earth Rooster | Earth Rooster |
| Feb 4, 1970, from 13:45, to Feb 5 | Earth Rooster | Metal Dog |
| Feb 6 to Dec 31, 1970 | Metal Dog | Metal Dog |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 1970 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Earth Rooster (1969)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Earth Rooster (1969)
Chinese New Year 1970: 1970-02-06. Lichun 1970: 1970-02-04 13:45 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 1970 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 1970 was 13:45 Beijing time on February 4, 1970. In New York that was 00:45 on the same date.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 4, 1970 | 13:45 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 4, 1970 | 13:45 |
| Taipei | Feb 4, 1970 | 13:45 |
| Singapore | Feb 4, 1970 | 13:15 |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 1970 | 14:45 |
| Tokyo | Feb 4, 1970 | 14:45 |
| London | Feb 4, 1970 | 06:45 |
| New York | Feb 4, 1970 | 00:45 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 3, 1970(day before) | 21:45 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 1970 | 15:45 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 1970, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 1970 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Feb 6, 1970 |
| Lantern Festival | Feb 20, 1970 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 5, 1970 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 8, 1970 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 8, 1970 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 16, 1970 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 15, 1970 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 8, 1970 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 22, 1970 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 4, 1971 |
The Dog and 庚戌 in the calendar
The Dog is the Earthly Branch 戌 (Xu); it also marks the double hour from 7 pm to 9 pm, the direction West-northwest and the fixed element Earth. 1970's own element, Metal, comes from the Heavenly Stem 庚. All Years of the Dog.
庚戌 is the 47th year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1910 (see the Year of the Dog table), 2030 and 2090 (see the Year of the Dog table).
Lunar months of the 1970 lunar year
12 months, no leap month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Feb 6, 1970 | 30 |
| 2nd month | Mar 8, 1970 | 29 |
| 3rd month | Apr 6, 1970 | 29 |
| 4th month | May 5, 1970 | 30 |
| 5th month | Jun 4, 1970 | 29 |
| 6th month | Jul 3, 1970 | 30 |
| 7th month | Aug 2, 1970 | 30 |
| 8th month | Sep 1, 1970 | 29 |
| 9th month | Sep 30, 1970 | 30 |
| 10th month | Oct 30, 1970 | 30 |
| 11th month | Nov 29, 1970 | 29 |
| 12th month | Dec 28, 1970 | 30 |
The 24 solar terms in 1970
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 | 02:01 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 20 | 19:23 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 4 | 13:45 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 19 | 09:41 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 6 | 07:58 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 21 | 08:56 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 5 | 13:01 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 20:14 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 6 | 06:33 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 19:37 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 6 | 10:52 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 22 | 03:42 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 21:10 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 23 | 14:36 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 8 | 06:54 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 21:33 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 8 | 09:37 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 23 | 18:58 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 9 | 01:01 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 24 | 04:04 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 8 | 03:57 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 23 | 01:24 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 20:37 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 22 | 14:35 |
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 1970?
The Year of the Dog began on February 6, 1970. Anyone born from January 1 to February 5, 1970 belongs to the previous year, the Earth Rooster (己酉); anyone born on or after February 6, 1970 is a Metal Dog. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Dog year began at 13:45 China Standard Time on February 4, 1970 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 1970 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Tuesday, September 15, 1970. The next one, on October 3, 1971, comes 18 days later in the Gregorian calendar, because a leap month falls between the two.
Did the 1970 lunar year have a leap month?
No. The 1970 lunar year has 12 months and 355 days: 7 long months of 30 days and 5 short months of 29 days.
What element is 1970 in the Chinese zodiac?
1970 is a Yang Metal year: its Heavenly Stem 庚 (Geng) carries Metal, and its Earthly Branch 戌 (Xu) is the Dog. Together they make 庚戌, the 47th year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 1970?
Lichun came first, on February 4, 1970 at 13:45. Births from then until February 5, 1970 are an Earth Rooster under the popular New Year rule but a Metal Dog 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.