1980 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Metal Monkey
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Monkey 猴
Element
Yang Metal
Stem-branch
庚申 Geng-Shen
Zodiac year
Feb 16, 1980 to Feb 4, 1981
The 1980 Year of the Yang Metal Monkey (庚申) began on Saturday, February 16, 1980, and lasted until February 4, 1981. Births from January 1 to February 15, 1980, the first 46 days of 1980, belonged to the Earth Goat year. It has 12 lunar months and 355 days, with no leap month. It contains one Start of Spring term (Feb 4, 1981).
Which animal for a 1980 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 00:09 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Feb 5, 1980, before 00:09 | Earth Goat | Earth Goat |
| Feb 5, 1980, from 00:09, to Feb 15 | Earth Goat | Metal Monkey |
| Feb 16 to Dec 31, 1980 | Metal Monkey | Metal Monkey |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 1980 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Earth Goat (1979)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Metal Monkey (1980)
Chinese New Year 1980: 1980-02-16. Lichun 1980: 1980-02-05 00:09 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 1980 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 1980 was 00:09 Beijing time on February 5, 1980. In New York that was 11:09 on February 4, 1980, the day before, so a baby born in New York on Feb 4 at or after 11:09 is a Metal Monkey under the Lichun rule.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 5, 1980 | 00:09 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 5, 1980 | 00:09 |
| Taipei | Feb 5, 1980 | 00:09 |
| Singapore | Feb 4, 1980(day before) | 23:39 |
| Seoul | Feb 5, 1980 | 01:09 |
| Tokyo | Feb 5, 1980 | 01:09 |
| London | Feb 4, 1980(day before) | 16:09 |
| New York | Feb 4, 1980(day before) | 11:09 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 4, 1980(day before) | 08:09 |
| Sydney | Feb 5, 1980 | 03:09 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 1980, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 1980 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Feb 16, 1980 |
| Lantern Festival | Mar 1, 1980 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 4, 1980 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 17, 1980 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 17, 1980 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 25, 1980 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 23, 1980 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 17, 1980 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 22, 1980 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 13, 1981 |
The Monkey and 庚申 in the calendar
The Monkey is the Earthly Branch 申 (Shen); it also marks the double hour from 3 pm to 5 pm, the direction West-southwest and the fixed element Metal. 1980's own element, Metal, comes from the Heavenly Stem 庚. All Years of the Monkey.
庚申 is the 57th year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1920, 2040 and 2100 (see the Year of the Monkey table).
Lunar months of the 1980 lunar year
12 months, no leap month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Feb 16, 1980 | 30 |
| 2nd month | Mar 17, 1980 | 29 |
| 3rd month | Apr 15, 1980 | 29 |
| 4th month | May 14, 1980 | 30 |
| 5th month | Jun 13, 1980 | 29 |
| 6th month | Jul 12, 1980 | 30 |
| 7th month | Aug 11, 1980 | 29 |
| 8th month | Sep 9, 1980 | 30 |
| 9th month | Oct 9, 1980 | 30 |
| 10th month | Nov 8, 1980 | 29 |
| 11th month | Dec 7, 1980 | 30 |
| 12th month | Jan 6, 1981 | 30 |
The 24 solar terms in 1980
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 | 12:28 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 21 | 05:48 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 5 | 00:09 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 19 | 20:01 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 5 | 18:16 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 20 | 19:09 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 4 | 23:14 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 06:22 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 5 | 16:44 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 05:42 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 5 | 21:03 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 21 | 13:47 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 07:23 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 23 | 00:41 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 7 | 17:08 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 07:40 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 7 | 19:53 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 23 | 05:08 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 11:19 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 23 | 14:17 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 7 | 14:18 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 11:41 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 07:01 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 22 | 00:56 |
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 1980?
The Year of the Monkey began on February 16, 1980. Anyone born from January 1 to February 15, 1980 belongs to the previous year, the Earth Goat (己未); anyone born on or after February 16, 1980 is a Metal Monkey. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Monkey year began at 00:09 China Standard Time on February 5, 1980 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 1980 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Tuesday, September 23, 1980. The next one, on September 12, 1981, comes 11 days earlier in the Gregorian calendar, because no leap month falls between the two.
Did the 1980 lunar year have a leap month?
No. The 1980 lunar year has 12 months and 355 days: 7 long months of 30 days and 5 short months of 29 days.
What element is 1980 in the Chinese zodiac?
1980 is a Yang Metal year: its Heavenly Stem 庚 (Geng) carries Metal, and its Earthly Branch 申 (Shen) is the Monkey. Together they make 庚申, the 57th year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 1980?
Lichun came first, on February 5, 1980 at 00:09. Births from then until February 15, 1980 are an Earth Goat under the popular New Year rule but a Metal Monkey 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.