1976 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Fire Dragon
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Dragon 龙
Element
Yang Fire
Stem-branch
丙辰 Bing-Chen
Zodiac year
Jan 31, 1976 to Feb 17, 1977
The 1976 Year of the Yang Fire Dragon (丙辰) began on Saturday, January 31, 1976, and lasted until February 17, 1977. Births from January 1 to January 30, 1976, the first 30 days of 1976, belonged to the Wood Rabbit year. The lunar year has a leap 8th month, starting Sep 24, 1976, so it runs 384 days. It contains two Start of Spring terms (Feb 5, 1976 and Feb 4, 1977), which folk custom calls a "double spring" year.
Which animal for a 1976 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 00:39 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Jan 30, 1976 | Wood Rabbit | Wood Rabbit |
| Jan 31 to Feb 5, 1976, before 00:39 | Fire Dragon | Wood Rabbit |
| Feb 5, 1976, from 00:39, to Dec 31 | Fire Dragon | Fire Dragon |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 1976 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Fire Dragon (1976)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Fire Dragon (1976)
Chinese New Year 1976: 1976-01-31. Lichun 1976: 1976-02-05 00:39 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 1976 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 1976 was 00:39 Beijing time on February 5, 1976. In New York that was 11:39 on February 4, 1976, the day before, so a baby born in New York on Feb 4 at or after 11:39 is a Fire Dragon under the Lichun rule.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 5, 1976 | 00:39 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 5, 1976 | 00:39 |
| Taipei | Feb 5, 1976 | 00:39 |
| Singapore | Feb 5, 1976 | 00:09 |
| Seoul | Feb 5, 1976 | 01:39 |
| Tokyo | Feb 5, 1976 | 01:39 |
| London | Feb 4, 1976(day before) | 16:39 |
| New York | Feb 4, 1976(day before) | 11:39 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 4, 1976(day before) | 08:39 |
| Sydney | Feb 5, 1976 | 03:39 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 1976, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 1976 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Jan 31, 1976 |
| Lantern Festival | Feb 14, 1976 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 4, 1976 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 2, 1976 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 2, 1976 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 10, 1976 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 8, 1976 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 31, 1976 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 22, 1976 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 26, 1977 |
The Dragon and 丙辰 in the calendar
The Dragon is the Earthly Branch 辰 (Chen); it also marks the double hour from 7 am to 9 am, the direction East-southeast and the fixed element Earth. 1976's own element, Fire, comes from the Heavenly Stem 丙. All Years of the Dragon.
丙辰 is the 53rd year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1916 (see the Year of the Dragon table), 2036 and 2096 (see the Year of the Dragon table).
Lunar months of the 1976 lunar year
13 months, including a leap 8th month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Jan 31, 1976 | 30 |
| 2nd month | Mar 1, 1976 | 30 |
| 3rd month | Mar 31, 1976 | 29 |
| 4th month | Apr 29, 1976 | 30 |
| 5th month | May 29, 1976 | 29 |
| 6th month | Jun 27, 1976 | 30 |
| 7th month | Jul 27, 1976 | 29 |
| 8th month | Aug 25, 1976 | 30 |
| Leap 8th month | Sep 24, 1976 | 29 |
| 9th month | Oct 23, 1976 | 29 |
| 10th month | Nov 21, 1976 | 30 |
| 11th month | Dec 21, 1976 | 29 |
| 12th month | Jan 19, 1977 | 30 |
The 24 solar terms in 1976
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 | 12:57 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 21 | 06:25 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 5 | 00:39 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 19 | 20:39 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 5 | 18:48 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 20 | 19:49 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 4 | 23:46 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 07:02 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 5 | 17:14 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 06:21 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 5 | 21:31 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 21 | 14:24 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 07:50 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 23 | 01:18 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 7 | 17:38 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 08:18 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 7 | 20:28 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 23 | 05:48 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 11:58 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 23 | 14:58 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 7 | 14:58 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 12:21 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 07:40 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 22 | 01:35 |
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 1976?
The Year of the Dragon began on January 31, 1976. Anyone born from January 1 to January 30, 1976 belongs to the previous year, the Wood Rabbit (乙卯); anyone born on or after January 31, 1976 is a Fire Dragon. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Dragon year began at 00:39 China Standard Time on February 5, 1976 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 1976 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Wednesday, September 8, 1976. The next one, on September 27, 1977, comes 19 days later in the Gregorian calendar, because a leap month falls between the two.
Did the 1976 lunar year have a leap month?
Yes. A leap 8th month followed the regular 8th month, starting September 24, 1976 and lasting 29 days, so the lunar year has 13 months and 384 days.
What element is 1976 in the Chinese zodiac?
1976 is a Yang Fire year: its Heavenly Stem 丙 (Bing) carries Fire, and its Earthly Branch 辰 (Chen) is the Dragon. Together they make 丙辰, the 53rd year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 1976?
Chinese New Year came first. Births from January 31, 1976 until Lichun (February 5, 1976 at 00:39) are a Fire Dragon under the popular New Year rule but a Wood Rabbit 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.