1986 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Fire Tiger
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Tiger 虎
Element
Yang Fire
Stem-branch
丙寅 Bing-Yin
Zodiac year
Feb 9, 1986 to Jan 28, 1987
The 1986 Year of the Yang Fire Tiger (丙寅) began on Sunday, February 9, 1986, and lasted until January 28, 1987. Births from January 1 to February 8, 1986, the first 39 days of 1986, belonged to the Wood Ox 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 1986 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 11:07 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Feb 4, 1986, before 11:07 | Wood Ox | Wood Ox |
| Feb 4, 1986, from 11:07, to Feb 8 | Wood Ox | Fire Tiger |
| Feb 9 to Dec 31, 1986 | Fire Tiger | Fire Tiger |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 1986 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Wood Ox (1985)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Fire Tiger (1986)
Chinese New Year 1986: 1986-02-09. Lichun 1986: 1986-02-04 11:07 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 1986 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 1986 was 11:07 Beijing time on February 4, 1986. In New York that was 22:07 on February 3, 1986, the day before, so a baby born in New York on Feb 3 at or after 22:07 is a Fire Tiger under the Lichun rule.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 4, 1986 | 11:07 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 4, 1986 | 11:07 |
| Taipei | Feb 4, 1986 | 11:07 |
| Singapore | Feb 4, 1986 | 11:07 |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 1986 | 12:07 |
| Tokyo | Feb 4, 1986 | 12:07 |
| London | Feb 4, 1986 | 03:07 |
| New York | Feb 3, 1986(day before) | 22:07 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 3, 1986(day before) | 19:07 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 1986 | 14:07 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 1986, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 1986 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Feb 9, 1986 |
| Lantern Festival | Feb 23, 1986 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 5, 1986 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 11, 1986 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 12, 1986 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 20, 1986 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 18, 1986 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 12, 1986 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 22, 1986 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 7, 1987 |
The Tiger and 丙寅 in the calendar
The Tiger is the Earthly Branch 寅 (Yin); it also marks the double hour from 3 am to 5 am, the direction East-northeast and the fixed element Wood. 1986's own element, Fire, comes from the Heavenly Stem 丙. All Years of the Tiger.
丙寅 is the 3rd year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1926 and 2046 (see the Year of the Tiger table).
Lunar months of the 1986 lunar year
12 months, no leap month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Feb 9, 1986 | 29 |
| 2nd month | Mar 10, 1986 | 30 |
| 3rd month | Apr 9, 1986 | 30 |
| 4th month | May 9, 1986 | 29 |
| 5th month | Jun 7, 1986 | 30 |
| 6th month | Jul 7, 1986 | 30 |
| 7th month | Aug 6, 1986 | 29 |
| 8th month | Sep 4, 1986 | 30 |
| 9th month | Oct 4, 1986 | 29 |
| 10th month | Nov 2, 1986 | 30 |
| 11th month | Dec 2, 1986 | 29 |
| 12th month | Dec 31, 1986 | 29 |
The 24 solar terms in 1986
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 | 23:28 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 20 | 16:46 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 4 | 11:07 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 19 | 06:57 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 6 | 05:12 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 21 | 06:02 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 5 | 10:06 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 17:12 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 6 | 03:30 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 16:27 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 6 | 07:44 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 22 | 00:29 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 18:00 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 23 | 11:24 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 8 | 03:45 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 18:25 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 8 | 06:34 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 23 | 15:58 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 22:06 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 24 | 01:14 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 8 | 01:12 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 22:44 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 18:00 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 22 | 12:02 |
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 1986?
The Year of the Tiger began on February 9, 1986. Anyone born from January 1 to February 8, 1986 belongs to the previous year, the Wood Ox (乙丑); anyone born on or after February 9, 1986 is a Fire Tiger. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Tiger year began at 11:07 China Standard Time on February 4, 1986 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 1986 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Thursday, September 18, 1986. The next one, on October 7, 1987, comes 19 days later in the Gregorian calendar, because a leap month falls between the two.
Did the 1986 lunar year have a leap month?
No. The 1986 lunar year has 12 months and 354 days: 6 long months of 30 days and 6 short months of 29 days.
What element is 1986 in the Chinese zodiac?
1986 is a Yang Fire year: its Heavenly Stem 丙 (Bing) carries Fire, and its Earthly Branch 寅 (Yin) is the Tiger. Together they make 丙寅, the 3rd year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 1986?
Lichun came first, on February 4, 1986 at 11:07. Births from then until February 8, 1986 are a Wood Ox under the popular New Year rule but a Fire Tiger 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.