1972 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Water Rat
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Rat 鼠
Element
Yang Water
Stem-branch
壬子 Ren-Zi
Zodiac year
Feb 15, 1972 to Feb 2, 1973
The 1972 Year of the Yang Water Rat (壬子) began on Tuesday, February 15, 1972, and lasted until February 2, 1973. Births from January 1 to February 14, 1972, the first 45 days of 1972, belonged to the Metal Pig 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 1972 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 01:20 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Feb 5, 1972, before 01:20 | Metal Pig | Metal Pig |
| Feb 5, 1972, from 01:20, to Feb 14 | Metal Pig | Water Rat |
| Feb 15 to Dec 31, 1972 | Water Rat | Water Rat |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 1972 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Metal Pig (1971)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Water Rat (1972)
Chinese New Year 1972: 1972-02-15. Lichun 1972: 1972-02-05 01:20 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 1972 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 1972 was 01:20 Beijing time on February 5, 1972. In New York that was 12:20 on February 4, 1972, the day before, so a baby born in New York on Feb 4 at or after 12:20 is a Water Rat under the Lichun rule.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 5, 1972 | 01:20 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 5, 1972 | 01:20 |
| Taipei | Feb 5, 1972 | 01:20 |
| Singapore | Feb 5, 1972 | 00:50 |
| Seoul | Feb 5, 1972 | 02:20 |
| Tokyo | Feb 5, 1972 | 02:20 |
| London | Feb 4, 1972(day before) | 17:20 |
| New York | Feb 4, 1972(day before) | 12:20 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 4, 1972(day before) | 09:20 |
| Sydney | Feb 5, 1972 | 04:20 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 1972, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 1972 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Feb 15, 1972 |
| Lantern Festival | Feb 29, 1972 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 5, 1972 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 15, 1972 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 15, 1972 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 23, 1972 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 22, 1972 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 15, 1972 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 22, 1972 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 11, 1973 |
The Rat and 壬子 in the calendar
The Rat is the Earthly Branch 子 (Zi); it also marks the double hour from 11 pm to 1 am, the direction North and the fixed element Water. 1972's own element, Water, comes from the Heavenly Stem 壬. All Years of the Rat.
壬子 is the 49th year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1912 (see the Year of the Rat table), 2032 and 2092 (see the Year of the Rat table).
Lunar months of the 1972 lunar year
12 months, no leap month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Feb 15, 1972 | 29 |
| 2nd month | Mar 15, 1972 | 30 |
| 3rd month | Apr 14, 1972 | 29 |
| 4th month | May 13, 1972 | 29 |
| 5th month | Jun 11, 1972 | 30 |
| 6th month | Jul 11, 1972 | 29 |
| 7th month | Aug 9, 1972 | 30 |
| 8th month | Sep 8, 1972 | 29 |
| 9th month | Oct 7, 1972 | 30 |
| 10th month | Nov 6, 1972 | 30 |
| 11th month | Dec 6, 1972 | 29 |
| 12th month | Jan 4, 1973 | 30 |
The 24 solar terms in 1972
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 | 13:41 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 21 | 06:58 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 5 | 01:20 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 19 | 21:11 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 5 | 19:28 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 20 | 20:21 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 5 | 00:28 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 07:37 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 5 | 18:01 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 06:59 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 5 | 22:21 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 21 | 15:06 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 08:42 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 23 | 02:02 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 7 | 18:28 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 09:03 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 7 | 21:15 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 23 | 06:32 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 12:41 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 23 | 15:41 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 7 | 15:39 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 13:02 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 08:18 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 22 | 02:12 |
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 1972?
The Year of the Rat began on February 15, 1972. Anyone born from January 1 to February 14, 1972 belongs to the previous year, the Metal Pig (辛亥); anyone born on or after February 15, 1972 is a Water Rat. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Rat year began at 01:20 China Standard Time on February 5, 1972 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 1972 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Friday, September 22, 1972. The next one, on September 11, 1973, comes 11 days earlier in the Gregorian calendar, because no leap month falls between the two.
Did the 1972 lunar year have a leap month?
No. The 1972 lunar year has 12 months and 354 days: 6 long months of 30 days and 6 short months of 29 days.
What element is 1972 in the Chinese zodiac?
1972 is a Yang Water year: its Heavenly Stem 壬 (Ren) carries Water, and its Earthly Branch 子 (Zi) is the Rat. Together they make 壬子, the 49th year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 1972?
Lichun came first, on February 5, 1972 at 01:20. Births from then until February 14, 1972 are a Metal Pig under the popular New Year rule but a Water Rat 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.