Chinese lunar calendar · year archive
Current year & next Chinese New Year →Chinese calendar 1973: year of the Water Ox
1973 is the year of the Water Ox in the Chinese calendar, from 3 February 1973 to 22 January 1974: 354 days, 12 lunar months. Born before 3 February 1973? That is still the Water Rat year.
Choose “Save as PDF” in your browser’s print destination to keep this calendar.
354 days · Year of the Water Ox
Sexagenary year
Earth controls Water: the year stem is Water, while theOx's fixed phase is Earth.
Length
354 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 Water Ox
Earth restrains Water in the Five Phases, so the Ox’s fixed element is understood as moderating the year element.
The animal repeats every 12 years, while the stem-and-branch pairing repeats every 60. The element in “Water 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 1973
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 1973.
| Lunar month | Begins | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 3 February 1973 | 30 |
| Month 2 | 5 March 1973 | 29 |
| Month 3 | 3 April 1973 | 30 |
| Month 4 | 3 May 1973 | 29 |
| Month 5 | 1 June 1973 | 29 |
| Month 6 | 30 June 1973 | 30 |
| Month 7 | 30 July 1973 | 29 |
| Month 8 | 28 August 1973 | 29 |
| Month 9 | 26 September 1973 | 30 |
| Month 10 | 26 October 1973 | 30 |
| Month 11 | 25 November 1973 | 29 |
| Month 12 | 24 December 1973 | 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.
- Beginning of Spring立春4 February 1973 · 07:04:12 UTC+8
- Rain Water雨水19 February 1973 · 03:01:09 UTC+8
- Awakening of Insects惊蛰6 March 1973 · 01:12:36 UTC+8
- Spring Equinox春分21 March 1973 · 02:12:26 UTC+8
- Pure Brightness清明5 April 1973 · 06:13:53 UTC+8
- Grain Rain谷雨20 April 1973 · 13:30:21 UTC+8
- Beginning of Summer立夏5 May 1973 · 23:46:23 UTC+8
- Grain Buds小满21 May 1973 · 12:53:49 UTC+8
- Grain in Ear芒种6 June 1973 · 04:06:50 UTC+8
- Summer Solstice夏至21 June 1973 · 21:00:34 UTC+8
- Minor Heat小暑7 July 1973 · 14:27:21 UTC+8
- Major Heat大暑23 July 1973 · 07:55:32 UTC+8
- Beginning of Autumn立秋8 August 1973 · 00:12:48 UTC+8
- End of Heat处暑23 August 1973 · 14:53:27 UTC+8
- White Dew白露8 September 1973 · 02:59:24 UTC+8
- Autumn Equinox秋分23 September 1973 · 12:21:06 UTC+8
- Cold Dew寒露8 October 1973 · 18:27:15 UTC+8
- Frost's Descent霜降23 October 1973 · 21:30:09 UTC+8
- Beginning of Winter立冬7 November 1973 · 21:27:38 UTC+8
- Minor Snow小雪22 November 1973 · 18:54:00 UTC+8
- Major Snow大雪7 December 1973 · 14:10:23 UTC+8
- Winter Solstice冬至22 December 1973 · 08:07:41 UTC+8
- Minor Cold小寒6 January 1974 · 01:19:55 UTC+8
- Major Cold大寒20 January 1974 · 18:45:40 UTC+8
Moving Gregorian dates
Festivals in the 1973 lunar year
Most follow numbered lunar dates; Qingming and Winter Solstice follow exact solar-term instants. Open a festival to see its rule.
- 3 February 1973lunar 1/1
- 17 February 1973lunar 1/15
- 5 June 1973lunar 5/5
- 5 August 1973lunar 7/7
- 13 August 1973lunar 7/15
- 11 September 1973lunar 8/15
- 4 October 1973lunar 9/9
- 31 December 1973lunar 12/8
- 22 January 1974lunar 12/30
Gregorian index
Month by month in 1973
Each Gregorian month of 1973, with the lunar dates and day pillars it covers.