Chinese lunar calendar · year archive
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1959 is the year of the Earth Pig in the Chinese calendar, from 8 February 1959 to 27 January 1960: 354 days, 12 lunar months. Born before 8 February 1959? That is still the Earth Dog year.
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354 days · Year of the Earth Pig
Sexagenary year
Earth controls Water: the year stem is Earth, while thePig's fixed phase is Water.
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 Earth Pig
Earth restrains Water in the Five Phases, so the year element is understood as moderating the Pig’s fixed element.
The animal repeats every 12 years, while the stem-and-branch pairing repeats every 60. The element in “Earth Pig” 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 1959
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 1959.
| Lunar month | Begins | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 8 February 1959 | 29 |
| Month 2 | 9 March 1959 | 30 |
| Month 3 | 8 April 1959 | 30 |
| Month 4 | 8 May 1959 | 29 |
| Month 5 | 6 June 1959 | 30 |
| Month 6 | 6 July 1959 | 29 |
| Month 7 | 4 August 1959 | 30 |
| Month 8 | 3 September 1959 | 29 |
| Month 9 | 2 October 1959 | 30 |
| Month 10 | 1 November 1959 | 29 |
| Month 11 | 30 November 1959 | 30 |
| Month 12 | 30 December 1959 | 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 1959 · 17:37:33 UTC+8
- Awakening of Insects惊蛰6 March 1959 · 15:56:35 UTC+8
- Spring Equinox春分21 March 1959 · 16:54:29 UTC+8
- Pure Brightness清明5 April 1959 · 21:03:02 UTC+8
- Grain Rain谷雨21 April 1959 · 04:16:27 UTC+8
- Beginning of Summer立夏6 May 1959 · 14:38:42 UTC+8
- Grain Buds小满22 May 1959 · 03:42:05 UTC+8
- Grain in Ear芒种6 June 1959 · 19:00:03 UTC+8
- Summer Solstice夏至22 June 1959 · 11:49:44 UTC+8
- Minor Heat小暑8 July 1959 · 05:19:52 UTC+8
- Major Heat大暑23 July 1959 · 22:45:25 UTC+8
- Beginning of Autumn立秋8 August 1959 · 15:04:04 UTC+8
- End of Heat处暑24 August 1959 · 05:43:29 UTC+8
- White Dew白露8 September 1959 · 17:47:54 UTC+8
- Autumn Equinox秋分24 September 1959 · 03:08:24 UTC+8
- Cold Dew寒露9 October 1959 · 09:09:48 UTC+8
- Frost's Descent霜降24 October 1959 · 12:10:58 UTC+8
- Beginning of Winter立冬8 November 1959 · 12:02:03 UTC+8
- Minor Snow小雪23 November 1959 · 09:26:53 UTC+8
- Major Snow大雪8 December 1959 · 04:37:16 UTC+8
- Winter Solstice冬至22 December 1959 · 22:34:18 UTC+8
- Minor Cold小寒6 January 1960 · 15:42:27 UTC+8
- Major Cold大寒21 January 1960 · 09:10:02 UTC+8
Moving Gregorian dates
Festivals in the 1959 lunar year
Most follow numbered lunar dates; Qingming and Winter Solstice follow exact solar-term instants. Open a festival to see its rule.
- 8 February 1959lunar 1/1
- 22 February 1959lunar 1/15
- 10 June 1959lunar 5/5
- 10 August 1959lunar 7/7
- 18 August 1959lunar 7/15
- 17 September 1959lunar 8/15
- 10 October 1959lunar 9/9
- 6 January 1960lunar 12/8
- 27 January 1960lunar 12/29
Gregorian index
Month by month in 1959
Each Gregorian month of 1959, with the lunar dates and day pillars it covers.