1990 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Metal Horse
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Horse 马
Element
Yang Metal
Stem-branch
庚午 Geng-Wu
Zodiac year
Jan 27, 1990 to Feb 14, 1991
The 1990 Year of the Yang Metal Horse (庚午) began on Saturday, January 27, 1990, and lasted until February 14, 1991. Births from January 1 to January 26, 1990, the first 26 days of 1990, belonged to the Earth Snake year. The lunar year has a leap 5th month, starting Jun 23, 1990, so it runs 384 days. It contains two Start of Spring terms (Feb 4, 1990 and Feb 4, 1991), which folk custom calls a "double spring" year.
Which animal for a 1990 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 10:14 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Jan 26, 1990 | Earth Snake | Earth Snake |
| Jan 27 to Feb 4, 1990, before 10:14 | Metal Horse | Earth Snake |
| Feb 4, 1990, from 10:14, to Dec 31 | Metal Horse | Metal Horse |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 1990 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Metal Horse (1990)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Metal Horse (1990)
Chinese New Year 1990: 1990-01-27. Lichun 1990: 1990-02-04 10:14 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 1990 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 1990 was 10:14 Beijing time on February 4, 1990. In New York that was 21:14 on February 3, 1990, the day before, so a baby born in New York on Feb 3 at or after 21:14 is a Metal Horse under the Lichun rule.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 4, 1990 | 10:14 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 4, 1990 | 10:14 |
| Taipei | Feb 4, 1990 | 10:14 |
| Singapore | Feb 4, 1990 | 10:14 |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 1990 | 11:14 |
| Tokyo | Feb 4, 1990 | 11:14 |
| London | Feb 4, 1990 | 02:14 |
| New York | Feb 3, 1990(day before) | 21:14 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 3, 1990(day before) | 18:14 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 1990 | 13:14 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 1990, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 1990 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Jan 27, 1990 |
| Lantern Festival | Feb 10, 1990 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 5, 1990 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | May 28, 1990 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 26, 1990 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Sep 3, 1990 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Oct 3, 1990 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 26, 1990 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 22, 1990 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 23, 1991 |
The Horse and 庚午 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. 1990's own element, Metal, comes from the Heavenly Stem 庚. All Years of the Horse.
庚午 is the 7th year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1930 and 2050 (see the Year of the Horse table).
Lunar months of the 1990 lunar year
13 months, including a leap 5th month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Jan 27, 1990 | 29 |
| 2nd month | Feb 25, 1990 | 30 |
| 3rd month | Mar 27, 1990 | 29 |
| 4th month | Apr 25, 1990 | 29 |
| 5th month | May 24, 1990 | 30 |
| Leap 5th month | Jun 23, 1990 | 29 |
| 6th month | Jul 22, 1990 | 29 |
| 7th month | Aug 20, 1990 | 30 |
| 8th month | Sep 19, 1990 | 29 |
| 9th month | Oct 18, 1990 | 30 |
| 10th month | Nov 17, 1990 | 30 |
| 11th month | Dec 17, 1990 | 30 |
| 12th month | Jan 16, 1991 | 30 |
The 24 solar terms in 1990
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 | 22:33 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 20 | 16:01 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 4 | 10:14 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 19 | 06:14 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 6 | 04:19 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 21 | 05:19 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 5 | 09:12 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 16:26 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 6 | 02:35 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 15:37 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 6 | 06:46 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 21 | 23:32 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 17:00 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 23 | 10:21 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 8 | 02:45 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 17:20 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 8 | 05:37 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 23 | 14:55 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 21:13 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 24 | 00:13 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 8 | 00:23 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 21:46 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 17:14 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 22 | 11:06 |
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 1990?
The Year of the Horse began on January 27, 1990. Anyone born from January 1 to January 26, 1990 belongs to the previous year, the Earth Snake (己巳); anyone born on or after January 27, 1990 is a Metal Horse. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Horse year began at 10:14 China Standard Time on February 4, 1990 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 1990 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Wednesday, October 3, 1990. The next one, on September 22, 1991, comes 11 days earlier in the Gregorian calendar, because no leap month falls between the two.
Did the 1990 lunar year have a leap month?
Yes. A leap 5th month followed the regular 5th month, starting June 23, 1990 and lasting 29 days, so the lunar year has 13 months and 384 days.
What element is 1990 in the Chinese zodiac?
1990 is a Yang Metal year: its Heavenly Stem 庚 (Geng) carries Metal, and its Earthly Branch 午 (Wu) is the Horse. Together they make 庚午, the 7th year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 1990?
Chinese New Year came first. Births from January 27, 1990 until Lichun (February 4, 1990 at 10:14) are a Metal Horse under the popular New Year rule but an Earth 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.