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1961 is the year of the Metal Ox in the Chinese calendar, from 15 February 1961 to 4 February 1962: 355 days, 12 lunar months. Born before 15 February 1961? That is still the Metal Rat year.
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355 days · Year of the Metal Ox
Sexagenary year
Earth generates Metal: the year stem is Metal, while theOx's fixed phase is Earth.
Length
355 days
Across 12 lunar months.
Leap month
None
The year runs its ordinary twelve months.
Beginning of Spring
Once
立春 falls once, as it usually does.
Year name explained
Why Metal Ox
Earth generates Metal in the Five Phases, so the Ox’s fixed element supports the year element.
The animal repeats every 12 years, while the stem-and-branch pairing repeats every 60. The element in “Metal Ox” 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 1961
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 1961.
| Lunar month | Begins | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 15 February 1961 | 30 |
| Month 2 | 17 March 1961 | 29 |
| Month 3 | 15 April 1961 | 30 |
| Month 4 | 15 May 1961 | 29 |
| Month 5 | 13 June 1961 | 30 |
| Month 6 | 13 July 1961 | 29 |
| Month 7 | 11 August 1961 | 30 |
| Month 8 | 10 September 1961 | 30 |
| Month 9 | 10 October 1961 | 29 |
| Month 10 | 8 November 1961 | 30 |
| Month 11 | 8 December 1961 | 29 |
| Month 12 | 6 January 1962 | 30 |
The solar year within it
24 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 1961 · 05:16:27 UTC+8
- Awakening of Insects惊蛰6 March 1961 · 03:34:39 UTC+8
- Spring Equinox春分21 March 1961 · 04:32:04 UTC+8
- Pure Brightness清明5 April 1961 · 08:42:07 UTC+8
- Grain Rain谷雨20 April 1961 · 15:55:02 UTC+8
- Beginning of Summer立夏6 May 1961 · 02:21:16 UTC+8
- Grain Buds小满21 May 1961 · 15:22:14 UTC+8
- Grain in Ear芒种6 June 1961 · 06:46:00 UTC+8
- Summer Solstice夏至21 June 1961 · 23:30:04 UTC+8
- Minor Heat小暑7 July 1961 · 17:06:35 UTC+8
- Major Heat大暑23 July 1961 · 10:23:34 UTC+8
- Beginning of Autumn立秋8 August 1961 · 02:48:19 UTC+8
- End of Heat处暑23 August 1961 · 17:18:30 UTC+8
- White Dew白露8 September 1961 · 05:29:12 UTC+8
- Autumn Equinox秋分23 September 1961 · 14:42:25 UTC+8
- Cold Dew寒露8 October 1961 · 20:50:56 UTC+8
- Frost's Descent霜降23 October 1961 · 23:47:21 UTC+8
- Beginning of Winter立冬7 November 1961 · 23:46:11 UTC+8
- Minor Snow小雪22 November 1961 · 21:07:40 UTC+8
- Major Snow大雪7 December 1961 · 16:25:54 UTC+8
- Winter Solstice冬至22 December 1961 · 10:19:26 UTC+8
- Minor Cold小寒6 January 1962 · 03:34:56 UTC+8
- Major Cold大寒20 January 1962 · 20:57:53 UTC+8
- Beginning of Spring立春4 February 1962 · 15:17:20 UTC+8
Moving Gregorian dates
Festivals in the 1961 lunar year
Most follow numbered lunar dates; Qingming and Winter Solstice follow exact solar-term instants. Open a festival to see its rule.
- 15 February 1961lunar 1/1
- 1 March 1961lunar 1/15
- 17 June 1961lunar 5/5
- 17 August 1961lunar 7/7
- 25 August 1961lunar 7/15
- 24 September 1961lunar 8/15
- 18 October 1961lunar 9/9
- 13 January 1962lunar 12/8
- 4 February 1962lunar 12/30
Gregorian index
Month by month in 1961
Each Gregorian month of 1961, with the lunar dates and day pillars it covers.