1996 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Fire Rat
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Rat 鼠
Element
Yang Fire
Stem-branch
丙子 Bing-Zi
Zodiac year
Feb 19, 1996 to Feb 6, 1997
The 1996 Year of the Yang Fire Rat (丙子) began on Monday, February 19, 1996, and lasted until February 6, 1997. Births from January 1 to February 18, 1996, the first 49 days of 1996, belonged to the Wood Pig year. Its Chinese New Year, Feb 19, is among the latest possible (the latest from 1900 to 2100 is Feb 20). It has 12 lunar months and 354 days, with no leap month. It contains one Start of Spring term (Feb 4, 1997).
Which animal for a 1996 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 21:07 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Feb 4, 1996, before 21:07 | Wood Pig | Wood Pig |
| Feb 4, 1996, from 21:07, to Feb 18 | Wood Pig | Fire Rat |
| Feb 19 to Dec 31, 1996 | Fire Rat | Fire Rat |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 1996 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Wood Pig (1995)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Wood Pig (1995)
Chinese New Year 1996: 1996-02-19. Lichun 1996: 1996-02-04 21:07 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 1996 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 1996 was 21:07 Beijing time on February 4, 1996. In New York that was 08:07 on the same date.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 4, 1996 | 21:07 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 4, 1996 | 21:07 |
| Taipei | Feb 4, 1996 | 21:07 |
| Singapore | Feb 4, 1996 | 21:07 |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 1996 | 22:07 |
| Tokyo | Feb 4, 1996 | 22:07 |
| London | Feb 4, 1996 | 13:07 |
| New York | Feb 4, 1996 | 08:07 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 4, 1996 | 05:07 |
| Sydney | Feb 5, 1996 | 00:07 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 1996, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 1996 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Feb 19, 1996 |
| Lantern Festival | Mar 4, 1996 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 4, 1996 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 20, 1996 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 20, 1996 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 28, 1996 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 27, 1996 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 20, 1996 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 21, 1996 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 16, 1997 |
The Rat and 丙子 in the calendar
The Rat is the Earthly Branch 子 (Zi); it also marks the double hour from 11 pm to 1 am, the direction North and the fixed element Water. 1996's own element, Fire, comes from the Heavenly Stem 丙. All Years of the Rat.
丙子 is the 13th year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1936 and 2056 (see the Year of the Rat table).
Lunar months of the 1996 lunar year
12 months, no leap month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Feb 19, 1996 | 29 |
| 2nd month | Mar 19, 1996 | 30 |
| 3rd month | Apr 18, 1996 | 29 |
| 4th month | May 17, 1996 | 30 |
| 5th month | Jun 16, 1996 | 30 |
| 6th month | Jul 16, 1996 | 29 |
| 7th month | Aug 14, 1996 | 30 |
| 8th month | Sep 13, 1996 | 29 |
| 9th month | Oct 12, 1996 | 30 |
| 10th month | Nov 11, 1996 | 30 |
| 11th month | Dec 11, 1996 | 29 |
| 12th month | Jan 9, 1997 | 29 |
The 24 solar terms in 1996
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 | 09:31 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 21 | 02:52 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 4 | 21:07 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 19 | 17:00 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 5 | 15:09 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 20 | 16:03 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 4 | 20:02 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 03:09 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 5 | 13:26 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 02:23 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 5 | 17:40 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 21 | 10:23 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 04:00 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 22 | 21:18 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 7 | 13:48 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 04:22 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 7 | 16:42 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 23 | 02:00 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 08:18 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 23 | 11:18 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 7 | 11:26 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 08:49 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 04:14 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 21 | 22:05 |
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 1996?
The Year of the Rat began on February 19, 1996. Anyone born from January 1 to February 18, 1996 belongs to the previous year, the Wood Pig (乙亥); anyone born on or after February 19, 1996 is a Fire Rat. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Rat year began at 21:07 China Standard Time on February 4, 1996 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 1996 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Friday, September 27, 1996. The next one, on September 16, 1997, comes 11 days earlier in the Gregorian calendar, because no leap month falls between the two.
Did the 1996 lunar year have a leap month?
No. The 1996 lunar year has 12 months and 354 days: 6 long months of 30 days and 6 short months of 29 days.
What element is 1996 in the Chinese zodiac?
1996 is a Yang Fire year: its Heavenly Stem 丙 (Bing) carries Fire, and its Earthly Branch 子 (Zi) is the Rat. Together they make 丙子, the 13th year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 1996?
Lichun came first, on February 4, 1996 at 21:07. Births from then until February 18, 1996 are a Wood Pig under the popular New Year rule but a Fire Rat 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.