1997 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Fire Ox
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Ox 牛
Element
Yin Fire
Stem-branch
丁丑 Ding-Chou
Zodiac year
Feb 7, 1997 to Jan 27, 1998
The 1997 Year of the Yin Fire Ox (丁丑) began on Friday, February 7, 1997, and lasted until January 27, 1998. Births from January 1 to February 6, 1997, the first 37 days of 1997, belonged to the Fire Rat 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 1997 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 03:01 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Feb 4, 1997, before 03:01 | Fire Rat | Fire Rat |
| Feb 4, 1997, from 03:01, to Feb 6 | Fire Rat | Fire Ox |
| Feb 7 to Dec 31, 1997 | Fire Ox | Fire Ox |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 1997 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Fire Rat (1996)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Fire Ox (1997)
Chinese New Year 1997: 1997-02-07. Lichun 1997: 1997-02-04 03:01 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 1997 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 1997 was 03:01 Beijing time on February 4, 1997. In New York that was 14:01 on February 3, 1997, the day before, so a baby born in New York on Feb 3 at or after 14:01 is a Fire Ox under the Lichun rule.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 4, 1997 | 03:01 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 4, 1997 | 03:01 |
| Taipei | Feb 4, 1997 | 03:01 |
| Singapore | Feb 4, 1997 | 03:01 |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 1997 | 04:01 |
| Tokyo | Feb 4, 1997 | 04:01 |
| London | Feb 3, 1997(day before) | 19:01 |
| New York | Feb 3, 1997(day before) | 14:01 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 3, 1997(day before) | 11:01 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 1997 | 06:01 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 1997, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 1997 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Feb 7, 1997 |
| Lantern Festival | Feb 21, 1997 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 5, 1997 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 9, 1997 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 9, 1997 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 17, 1997 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 16, 1997 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 10, 1997 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 22, 1997 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 6, 1998 |
The Ox and 丁丑 in the calendar
The Ox is the Earthly Branch 丑 (Chou); it also marks the double hour from 1 am to 3 am, the direction North-northeast and the fixed element Earth. 1997's own element, Fire, comes from the Heavenly Stem 丁. All Years of the Ox.
丁丑 is the 14th year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1937 and 2057 (see the Year of the Ox table).
Lunar months of the 1997 lunar year
12 months, no leap month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Feb 7, 1997 | 30 |
| 2nd month | Mar 9, 1997 | 29 |
| 3rd month | Apr 7, 1997 | 30 |
| 4th month | May 7, 1997 | 29 |
| 5th month | Jun 5, 1997 | 30 |
| 6th month | Jul 5, 1997 | 29 |
| 7th month | Aug 3, 1997 | 30 |
| 8th month | Sep 2, 1997 | 30 |
| 9th month | Oct 2, 1997 | 29 |
| 10th month | Oct 31, 1997 | 30 |
| 11th month | Nov 30, 1997 | 30 |
| 12th month | Dec 30, 1997 | 29 |
The 24 solar terms in 1997
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 | 15:24 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 20 | 08:42 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 4 | 03:01 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 18 | 22:51 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 5 | 21:04 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 20 | 21:54 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 5 | 01:56 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 09:02 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 5 | 19:19 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 08:17 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 5 | 23:32 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 21 | 16:19 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 09:49 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 23 | 03:15 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 7 | 19:36 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 10:19 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 7 | 22:28 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 23 | 07:55 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 14:05 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 23 | 17:14 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 7 | 17:14 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 14:47 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 10:04 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 22 | 04:07 |
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 1997?
The Year of the Ox began on February 7, 1997. Anyone born from January 1 to February 6, 1997 belongs to the previous year, the Fire Rat (丙子); anyone born on or after February 7, 1997 is a Fire Ox. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Ox year began at 03:01 China Standard Time on February 4, 1997 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 1997 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Tuesday, September 16, 1997. The next one, on October 5, 1998, comes 19 days later in the Gregorian calendar, because a leap month falls between the two.
Did the 1997 lunar year have a leap month?
No. The 1997 lunar year has 12 months and 355 days: 7 long months of 30 days and 5 short months of 29 days.
What element is 1997 in the Chinese zodiac?
1997 is a Yin Fire year: its Heavenly Stem 丁 (Ding) carries Fire, and its Earthly Branch 丑 (Chou) is the Ox. Together they make 丁丑, the 14th year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 1997?
Lichun came first, on February 4, 1997 at 03:01. Births from then until February 6, 1997 are a Fire Rat under the popular New Year rule but a Fire Ox 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.