1956 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Fire Monkey

1956 is the year of the Fire Monkey (丙申 Bǐngshēn), from 12 February 1956 to 30 January 1957. Anyone born in 1956 before 12 February 1956 belongs to the Wood Goat year.

• Animal: Monkey
• Element: Fire (Yang)
• Cycle name: 丙申 Bǐngshēn, year 33 of the 60-year cycle
• Starts: 12 February 1956
• Ends: 30 January 1957

The Fire Monkey

Fire years are traditionally linked with passion, visibility and momentum: the element of warmth, courage and ideas that spread quickly. The Monkey is the zodiac's inventor. Tradition describes Monkey people as clever, playful and adaptable, quick to solve a puzzle and quicker to get bored once it is solved. They learn fast and enjoy a clever shortcut.

Born in January or February 1956?

Anyone born from 1 January to 11 February 1956 belongs to the Wood Goat year of 1955. From 12 February 1956 the Fire Monkey year begins.

Famous people born in the Fire Monkey year

• Anthony Bourdain, born 25 June 1956
• Tom Hanks, born 9 July 1956

How the dates are worked out

Each Chinese New Year here is worked out from the sky, not copied from a list. A lunar month starts on the day of a New Moon in China Standard Time (UTC+8, or Beijing local time before 1929). The month holding the December solstice is the 11th month. When 13 New Moons fall between two of those months, the first month with no principal solar term (the Sun reaching a multiple of 30 degrees) is a leap month. New Year is the first day of the 1st month, which is why it moves between 21 January and 20 February. New Moons and solar terms follow Jean Meeus's Astronomical Algorithms. The rules follow the Chinese calendar.

1955: Wood Goat · 1957: Fire Rooster · All Monkey years · All 12 animals