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1953 is the year of the Water Snake in the Chinese calendar, from 14 February 1953 to 2 February 1954: 354 days, 12 lunar months. Born before 14 February 1953? That is still the Water Dragon year.
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354 days · Year of the Water Snake
Sexagenary year
Water controls Fire: the year stem is Water, while theSnake's fixed phase is Fire.
Length
354 days
Across 12 lunar months.
Leap month
None
The year runs its ordinary twelve months.
Beginning of Spring
Not within this year
立春 does not fall inside it — a springless year, 无春年.
Year name explained
Why Water Snake
Water restrains Fire in the Five Phases, so the year element is understood as moderating the Snake’s fixed element.
The animal repeats every 12 years, while the stem-and-branch pairing repeats every 60. The element in “Water Snake” comes from the year's heavenly stem; it is distinct from the animal's conventional fixed phase. Read the calendar glossary.
The 12 lunar months of 1953
A lunar month begins on the day of the new moon, so its Gregorian start date moves every year. These are the exact correspondences for 1953.
| Lunar month | Begins | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 14 February 1953 | 29 |
| Month 2 | 15 March 1953 | 30 |
| Month 3 | 14 April 1953 | 29 |
| Month 4 | 13 May 1953 | 29 |
| Month 5 | 11 June 1953 | 30 |
| Month 6 | 11 July 1953 | 30 |
| Month 7 | 10 August 1953 | 29 |
| Month 8 | 8 September 1953 | 30 |
| Month 9 | 8 October 1953 | 30 |
| Month 10 | 7 November 1953 | 29 |
| Month 11 | 6 December 1953 | 30 |
| Month 12 | 5 January 1954 | 29 |
The solar year within it
23 solar terms
Solar terms track the sun rather than the moon, so they sit at almost the same Gregorian date every year while the lunar months move by weeks. A twelve-month year is about eleven days shorter than the solar year and so holds fewer of them than a thirteen-month one.
- Rain Water雨水19 February 1953 · 06:41:05 UTC+8
- Awakening of Insects惊蛰6 March 1953 · 05:02:26 UTC+8
- Spring Equinox春分21 March 1953 · 06:00:30 UTC+8
- Pure Brightness清明5 April 1953 · 10:12:36 UTC+8
- Grain Rain谷雨20 April 1953 · 17:25:21 UTC+8
- Beginning of Summer立夏6 May 1953 · 03:52:18 UTC+8
- Grain Buds小满21 May 1953 · 16:52:47 UTC+8
- Grain in Ear芒种6 June 1953 · 08:16:04 UTC+8
- Summer Solstice夏至22 June 1953 · 00:59:53 UTC+8
- Minor Heat小暑7 July 1953 · 18:34:54 UTC+8
- Major Heat大暑23 July 1953 · 11:52:06 UTC+8
- Beginning of Autumn立秋8 August 1953 · 04:14:35 UTC+8
- End of Heat处暑23 August 1953 · 18:45:09 UTC+8
- White Dew白露8 September 1953 · 06:52:43 UTC+8
- Autumn Equinox秋分23 September 1953 · 16:05:52 UTC+8
- Cold Dew寒露8 October 1953 · 22:10:25 UTC+8
- Frost's Descent霜降24 October 1953 · 01:06:14 UTC+8
- Beginning of Winter立冬8 November 1953 · 01:00:57 UTC+8
- Minor Snow小雪22 November 1953 · 22:22:03 UTC+8
- Major Snow大雪7 December 1953 · 17:36:59 UTC+8
- Winter Solstice冬至22 December 1953 · 11:31:25 UTC+8
- Minor Cold小寒6 January 1954 · 04:45:17 UTC+8
- Major Cold大寒20 January 1954 · 22:11:01 UTC+8
Moving Gregorian dates
Festivals in the 1953 lunar year
Most follow numbered lunar dates; Qingming and Winter Solstice follow exact solar-term instants. Open a festival to see its rule.
- 14 February 1953lunar 1/1
- 28 February 1953lunar 1/15
- 15 June 1953lunar 5/5
- 16 August 1953lunar 7/7
- 24 August 1953lunar 7/15
- 22 September 1953lunar 8/15
- 16 October 1953lunar 9/9
- 12 January 1954lunar 12/8
- 2 February 1954lunar 12/29
Gregorian index
Month by month in 1953
Each Gregorian month of 1953, with the lunar dates and day pillars it covers.