Chinese lunar calendar · year archive
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1956 is the year of the Fire Monkey in the Chinese calendar, from 12 February 1956 to 30 January 1957: 354 days, 12 lunar months. Born before 12 February 1956? That is still the Wood Goat year.
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354 days · Year of the Fire Monkey
Sexagenary year
Fire controls Metal: the year stem is Fire, while theMonkey's fixed phase is Metal.
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 Fire Monkey
Fire restrains Metal in the Five Phases, so the year element is understood as moderating the Monkey’s fixed element.
The animal repeats every 12 years, while the stem-and-branch pairing repeats every 60. The element in “Fire Monkey” 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 1956
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 1956.
| Lunar month | Begins | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 12 February 1956 | 29 |
| Month 2 | 12 March 1956 | 30 |
| Month 3 | 11 April 1956 | 29 |
| Month 4 | 10 May 1956 | 30 |
| Month 5 | 9 June 1956 | 29 |
| Month 6 | 8 July 1956 | 29 |
| Month 7 | 6 August 1956 | 30 |
| Month 8 | 5 September 1956 | 29 |
| Month 9 | 4 October 1956 | 30 |
| Month 10 | 3 November 1956 | 29 |
| Month 11 | 2 December 1956 | 30 |
| Month 12 | 1 January 1957 | 30 |
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20 February 1956 · 00:04:37 UTC+8
- Awakening of Insects惊蛰5 March 1956 · 22:24:27 UTC+8
- Spring Equinox春分20 March 1956 · 23:20:15 UTC+8
- Pure Brightness清明5 April 1956 · 03:31:09 UTC+8
- Grain Rain谷雨20 April 1956 · 10:43:25 UTC+8
- Beginning of Summer立夏5 May 1956 · 21:09:58 UTC+8
- Grain Buds小满21 May 1956 · 10:12:32 UTC+8
- Grain in Ear芒种6 June 1956 · 01:35:47 UTC+8
- Summer Solstice夏至21 June 1956 · 18:23:41 UTC+8
- Minor Heat小暑7 July 1956 · 11:57:59 UTC+8
- Major Heat大暑23 July 1956 · 05:19:52 UTC+8
- Beginning of Autumn立秋7 August 1956 · 21:40:12 UTC+8
- End of Heat处暑23 August 1956 · 12:14:46 UTC+8
- White Dew白露8 September 1956 · 00:18:56 UTC+8
- Autumn Equinox秋分23 September 1956 · 09:35:02 UTC+8
- Cold Dew寒露8 October 1956 · 15:35:53 UTC+8
- Frost's Descent霜降23 October 1956 · 18:34:19 UTC+8
- Beginning of Winter立冬7 November 1956 · 18:25:54 UTC+8
- Minor Snow小雪22 November 1956 · 15:49:50 UTC+8
- Major Snow大雪7 December 1956 · 11:02:06 UTC+8
- Winter Solstice冬至22 December 1956 · 04:59:27 UTC+8
- Minor Cold小寒5 January 1957 · 22:10:25 UTC+8
- Major Cold大寒20 January 1957 · 15:38:35 UTC+8
Moving Gregorian dates
Festivals in the 1956 lunar year
Most follow numbered lunar dates; Qingming and Winter Solstice follow exact solar-term instants. Open a festival to see its rule.
- 12 February 1956lunar 1/1
- 26 February 1956lunar 1/15
- 13 June 1956lunar 5/5
- 12 August 1956lunar 7/7
- 20 August 1956lunar 7/15
- 19 September 1956lunar 8/15
- 12 October 1956lunar 9/9
- 8 January 1957lunar 12/8
- 30 January 1957lunar 12/30
Gregorian index
Month by month in 1956
Each Gregorian month of 1956, with the lunar dates and day pillars it covers.