1978 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Earth Horse
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Horse 马
Element
Yang Earth
Stem-branch
戊午 Wu-Wu
Zodiac year
Feb 7, 1978 to Jan 27, 1979
The 1978 Year of the Yang Earth Horse (戊午) began on Tuesday, February 7, 1978, and lasted until January 27, 1979. Births from January 1 to February 6, 1978, the first 37 days of 1978, belonged to the Fire Snake 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 1978 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 12:26 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Feb 4, 1978, before 12:26 | Fire Snake | Fire Snake |
| Feb 4, 1978, from 12:26, to Feb 6 | Fire Snake | Earth Horse |
| Feb 7 to Dec 31, 1978 | Earth Horse | Earth Horse |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 1978 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Fire Snake (1977)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Fire Snake (1977)
Chinese New Year 1978: 1978-02-07. Lichun 1978: 1978-02-04 12:26 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. Your birth is within 30 minutes of Lichun, so the answer depends on the exact minute; the Lichun time is calculated to the minute.
Lichun 1978 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 1978 was 12:26 Beijing time on February 4, 1978. In New York that was 23:26 on February 3, 1978, the day before, so a baby born in New York on Feb 3 at or after 23:26 is an Earth Horse under the Lichun rule.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 4, 1978 | 12:26 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 4, 1978 | 12:26 |
| Taipei | Feb 4, 1978 | 12:26 |
| Singapore | Feb 4, 1978 | 11:56 |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 1978 | 13:26 |
| Tokyo | Feb 4, 1978 | 13:26 |
| London | Feb 4, 1978 | 04:26 |
| New York | Feb 3, 1978(day before) | 23:26 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 3, 1978(day before) | 20:26 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 1978 | 15:26 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 1978, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 1978 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Feb 7, 1978 |
| Lantern Festival | Feb 21, 1978 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 5, 1978 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 10, 1978 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 10, 1978 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 18, 1978 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 17, 1978 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 10, 1978 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 22, 1978 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 6, 1979 |
The Horse and 戊午 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. 1978's own element, Earth, comes from the Heavenly Stem 戊. All Years of the Horse.
戊午 is the 55th year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1918 (see the Year of the Horse table), 2038 and 2098 (see the Year of the Horse table).
Lunar months of the 1978 lunar year
12 months, no leap month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Feb 7, 1978 | 30 |
| 2nd month | Mar 9, 1978 | 29 |
| 3rd month | Apr 7, 1978 | 30 |
| 4th month | May 7, 1978 | 30 |
| 5th month | Jun 6, 1978 | 29 |
| 6th month | Jul 5, 1978 | 30 |
| 7th month | Aug 4, 1978 | 30 |
| 8th month | Sep 3, 1978 | 29 |
| 9th month | Oct 2, 1978 | 30 |
| 10th month | Nov 1, 1978 | 29 |
| 11th month | Nov 30, 1978 | 30 |
| 12th month | Dec 30, 1978 | 29 |
The 24 solar terms in 1978
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 | 00:43 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 20 | 18:03 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 4 | 12:26 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 19 | 08:20 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 6 | 06:38 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 21 | 07:33 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 5 | 11:39 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 18:49 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 6 | 05:08 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 18:08 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 6 | 09:23 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 22 | 02:09 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 19:36 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 23 | 13:00 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 8 | 05:17 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 19:56 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 8 | 08:02 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 23 | 17:25 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 23:30 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 24 | 02:37 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 8 | 02:34 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 23 | 00:04 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 19:20 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 22 | 13:20 |
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 1978?
The Year of the Horse began on February 7, 1978. Anyone born from January 1 to February 6, 1978 belongs to the previous year, the Fire Snake (丁巳); anyone born on or after February 7, 1978 is an Earth Horse. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Horse year began at 12:26 China Standard Time on February 4, 1978 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 1978 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Sunday, September 17, 1978. The next one, on October 5, 1979, comes 18 days later in the Gregorian calendar, because a leap month falls between the two.
Did the 1978 lunar year have a leap month?
No. The 1978 lunar year has 12 months and 355 days: 7 long months of 30 days and 5 short months of 29 days.
What element is 1978 in the Chinese zodiac?
1978 is a Yang Earth year: its Heavenly Stem 戊 (Wu) carries Earth, and its Earthly Branch 午 (Wu) is the Horse. Together they make 戊午, the 55th year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 1978?
Lichun came first, on February 4, 1978 at 12:26. Births from then until February 6, 1978 are a Fire Snake under the popular New Year rule but an Earth Horse 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.