1977 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Fire Snake
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Snake 蛇
Element
Yin Fire
Stem-branch
丁巳 Ding-Si
Zodiac year
Feb 18, 1977 to Feb 6, 1978
The 1977 Year of the Yin Fire Snake (丁巳) began on Friday, February 18, 1977, and lasted until February 6, 1978. Births from January 1 to February 17, 1977, the first 48 days of 1977, belonged to the Fire Dragon year. It has 12 lunar months and 354 days, with no leap month. It contains one Start of Spring term (Feb 4, 1978).
Which animal for a 1977 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 06:33 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Feb 4, 1977, before 06:33 | Fire Dragon | Fire Dragon |
| Feb 4, 1977, from 06:33, to Feb 17 | Fire Dragon | Fire Snake |
| Feb 18 to Dec 31, 1977 | Fire Snake | Fire Snake |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 1977 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Fire Dragon (1976)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Fire Snake (1977)
Chinese New Year 1977: 1977-02-18. Lichun 1977: 1977-02-04 06:33 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 1977 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 1977 was 06:33 Beijing time on February 4, 1977. In New York that was 17:33 on February 3, 1977, the day before, so a baby born in New York on Feb 3 at or after 17:33 is a Fire Snake under the Lichun rule.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 4, 1977 | 06:33 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 4, 1977 | 06:33 |
| Taipei | Feb 4, 1977 | 06:33 |
| Singapore | Feb 4, 1977 | 06:03 |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 1977 | 07:33 |
| Tokyo | Feb 4, 1977 | 07:33 |
| London | Feb 3, 1977(day before) | 22:33 |
| New York | Feb 3, 1977(day before) | 17:33 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 3, 1977(day before) | 14:33 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 1977 | 09:33 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 1977, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 1977 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Feb 18, 1977 |
| Lantern Festival | Mar 4, 1977 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 5, 1977 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 21, 1977 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 21, 1977 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 29, 1977 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 27, 1977 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 21, 1977 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 22, 1977 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 16, 1978 |
The Snake and 丁巳 in the calendar
The Snake is the Earthly Branch 巳 (Si); it also marks the double hour from 9 am to 11 am, the direction South-southeast and the fixed element Fire. 1977's own element, Fire, comes from the Heavenly Stem 丁. All Years of the Snake.
丁巳 is the 54th year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1917 (see the Year of the Snake table), 2037 and 2097 (see the Year of the Snake table).
Lunar months of the 1977 lunar year
12 months, no leap month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Feb 18, 1977 | 30 |
| 2nd month | Mar 20, 1977 | 29 |
| 3rd month | Apr 18, 1977 | 30 |
| 4th month | May 18, 1977 | 30 |
| 5th month | Jun 17, 1977 | 29 |
| 6th month | Jul 16, 1977 | 30 |
| 7th month | Aug 15, 1977 | 29 |
| 8th month | Sep 13, 1977 | 30 |
| 9th month | Oct 13, 1977 | 29 |
| 10th month | Nov 11, 1977 | 30 |
| 11th month | Dec 11, 1977 | 29 |
| 12th month | Jan 9, 1978 | 29 |
The 24 solar terms in 1977
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 5 | 18:51 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 20 | 12:14 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 4 | 06:33 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 19 | 02:30 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 6 | 00:44 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 21 | 01:42 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 5 | 05:45 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 12:57 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 5 | 23:16 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 12:14 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 6 | 03:32 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 21 | 20:13 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 13:47 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 23 | 07:03 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 7 | 23:30 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 14:00 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 8 | 02:15 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 23 | 11:29 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 17:43 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 23 | 20:40 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 7 | 20:45 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 18:06 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 13:30 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 22 | 07:23 |
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 1977?
The Year of the Snake began on February 18, 1977. Anyone born from January 1 to February 17, 1977 belongs to the previous year, the Fire Dragon (丙辰); anyone born on or after February 18, 1977 is a Fire Snake. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Snake year began at 06:33 China Standard Time on February 4, 1977 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 1977 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Tuesday, September 27, 1977. The next one, on September 17, 1978, comes 10 days earlier in the Gregorian calendar, because no leap month falls between the two.
Did the 1977 lunar year have a leap month?
No. The 1977 lunar year has 12 months and 354 days: 6 long months of 30 days and 6 short months of 29 days.
What element is 1977 in the Chinese zodiac?
1977 is a Yin Fire year: its Heavenly Stem 丁 (Ding) carries Fire, and its Earthly Branch 巳 (Si) is the Snake. Together they make 丁巳, the 54th year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 1977?
Lichun came first, on February 4, 1977 at 06:33. Births from then until February 17, 1977 are a Fire Dragon under the popular New Year rule but a Fire 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.