Chinese lunar calendar · year archive
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1996 is the year of the Fire Rat in the Chinese calendar, from 19 February 1996 to 6 February 1997: 354 days, 12 lunar months. Born before 19 February 1996? That is still the Wood Pig year.
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354 days · Year of the Fire Rat
Sexagenary year
Water controls Fire: the year stem is Fire, while theRat'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
Once
立春 falls once, as it usually does.
Year name explained
Why Fire Rat
Water restrains Fire in the Five Phases, so the Rat’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 “Fire Rat” 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 1996
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 1996.
| Lunar month | Begins | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 19 February 1996 | 29 |
| Month 2 | 19 March 1996 | 30 |
| Month 3 | 18 April 1996 | 29 |
| Month 4 | 17 May 1996 | 30 |
| Month 5 | 16 June 1996 | 30 |
| Month 6 | 16 July 1996 | 29 |
| Month 7 | 14 August 1996 | 30 |
| Month 8 | 13 September 1996 | 29 |
| Month 9 | 12 October 1996 | 30 |
| Month 10 | 11 November 1996 | 30 |
| Month 11 | 11 December 1996 | 29 |
| Month 12 | 9 January 1997 | 29 |
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 1996 · 17:00:43 UTC+8
- Awakening of Insects惊蛰5 March 1996 · 15:09:39 UTC+8
- Spring Equinox春分20 March 1996 · 16:03:04 UTC+8
- Pure Brightness清明4 April 1996 · 20:02:01 UTC+8
- Grain Rain谷雨20 April 1996 · 03:09:53 UTC+8
- Beginning of Summer立夏5 May 1996 · 13:26:02 UTC+8
- Grain Buds小满21 May 1996 · 02:23:06 UTC+8
- Grain in Ear芒种5 June 1996 · 17:40:47 UTC+8
- Summer Solstice夏至21 June 1996 · 10:23:44 UTC+8
- Minor Heat小暑7 July 1996 · 04:00:00 UTC+8
- Major Heat大暑22 July 1996 · 21:18:42 UTC+8
- Beginning of Autumn立秋7 August 1996 · 13:48:49 UTC+8
- End of Heat处暑23 August 1996 · 04:22:50 UTC+8
- White Dew白露7 September 1996 · 16:42:25 UTC+8
- Autumn Equinox秋分23 September 1996 · 02:00:06 UTC+8
- Cold Dew寒露8 October 1996 · 08:18:42 UTC+8
- Frost's Descent霜降23 October 1996 · 11:18:42 UTC+8
- Beginning of Winter立冬7 November 1996 · 11:26:33 UTC+8
- Minor Snow小雪22 November 1996 · 08:49:24 UTC+8
- Major Snow大雪7 December 1996 · 04:14:00 UTC+8
- Winter Solstice冬至21 December 1996 · 22:05:53 UTC+8
- Minor Cold小寒5 January 1997 · 15:24:28 UTC+8
- Major Cold大寒20 January 1997 · 08:42:31 UTC+8
- Beginning of Spring立春4 February 1997 · 03:01:57 UTC+8
Moving Gregorian dates
Festivals in the 1996 lunar year
Most follow numbered lunar dates; Qingming and Winter Solstice follow exact solar-term instants. Open a festival to see its rule.
- 19 February 1996lunar 1/1
- 4 March 1996lunar 1/15
- 20 June 1996lunar 5/5
- 20 August 1996lunar 7/7
- 28 August 1996lunar 7/15
- 27 September 1996lunar 8/15
- 20 October 1996lunar 9/9
- 16 January 1997lunar 12/8
- 6 February 1997lunar 12/29
Gregorian index
Month by month in 1996
Each Gregorian month of 1996, with the lunar dates and day pillars it covers.