Chinese lunar calendar · year archive
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1981 is the year of the Metal Rooster in the Chinese calendar, from 5 February 1981 to 24 January 1982: 354 days, 12 lunar months. Born before 5 February 1981? That is still the Metal Monkey year.
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354 days · Year of the Metal Rooster
Sexagenary year
Metal reinforces Metal: the year stem is Metal, while theRooster'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 Metal Rooster
Metal is both the year element and the Rooster’s fixed element, so this pairing reinforces Metal.
The animal repeats every 12 years, while the stem-and-branch pairing repeats every 60. The element in “Metal Rooster” 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 1981
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 1981.
| Lunar month | Begins | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 5 February 1981 | 29 |
| Month 2 | 6 March 1981 | 30 |
| Month 3 | 5 April 1981 | 29 |
| Month 4 | 4 May 1981 | 29 |
| Month 5 | 2 June 1981 | 30 |
| Month 6 | 2 July 1981 | 29 |
| Month 7 | 31 July 1981 | 29 |
| Month 8 | 29 August 1981 | 30 |
| Month 9 | 28 September 1981 | 30 |
| Month 10 | 28 October 1981 | 29 |
| Month 11 | 26 November 1981 | 30 |
| Month 12 | 26 December 1981 | 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19 February 1981 · 01:51:38 UTC+8
- Awakening of Insects惊蛰6 March 1981 · 00:05:07 UTC+8
- Spring Equinox春分21 March 1981 · 01:02:49 UTC+8
- Pure Brightness清明5 April 1981 · 05:05:02 UTC+8
- Grain Rain谷雨20 April 1981 · 12:18:31 UTC+8
- Beginning of Summer立夏5 May 1981 · 22:34:47 UTC+8
- Grain Buds小满21 May 1981 · 11:39:25 UTC+8
- Grain in Ear芒种6 June 1981 · 02:52:39 UTC+8
- Summer Solstice夏至21 June 1981 · 19:44:40 UTC+8
- Minor Heat小暑7 July 1981 · 13:11:52 UTC+8
- Major Heat大暑23 July 1981 · 06:39:43 UTC+8
- Beginning of Autumn立秋7 August 1981 · 22:57:09 UTC+8
- End of Heat处暑23 August 1981 · 13:38:10 UTC+8
- White Dew白露8 September 1981 · 01:43:13 UTC+8
- Autumn Equinox秋分23 September 1981 · 11:05:11 UTC+8
- Cold Dew寒露8 October 1981 · 17:09:32 UTC+8
- Frost's Descent霜降23 October 1981 · 20:12:49 UTC+8
- Beginning of Winter立冬7 November 1981 · 20:08:29 UTC+8
- Minor Snow小雪22 November 1981 · 17:35:56 UTC+8
- Major Snow大雪7 December 1981 · 12:51:15 UTC+8
- Winter Solstice冬至22 December 1981 · 06:50:31 UTC+8
- Minor Cold小寒6 January 1982 · 00:02:35 UTC+8
- Major Cold大寒20 January 1982 · 17:30:53 UTC+8
Moving Gregorian dates
Festivals in the 1981 lunar year
Most follow numbered lunar dates; Qingming and Winter Solstice follow exact solar-term instants. Open a festival to see its rule.
- 5 February 1981lunar 1/1
- 19 February 1981lunar 1/15
- 6 June 1981lunar 5/5
- 6 August 1981lunar 7/7
- 14 August 1981lunar 7/15
- 12 September 1981lunar 8/15
- 6 October 1981lunar 9/9
- 2 January 1982lunar 12/8
- 24 January 1982lunar 12/30
Gregorian index
Month by month in 1981
Each Gregorian month of 1981, with the lunar dates and day pillars it covers.