Year of the Fire Horse
1966 Chinese zodiac sign: Fire Horse
If you were born from January 21, 1966 to February 8, 1967, your Chinese zodiac sign is the Fire Horse. A birthday in 1966 before January 21 still belongs to the Wood Snake of 1965.
Fire Horse
- Element: Fire
- Yang
- First day
- Friday, January 21, 1966
- Last day
- Wednesday, February 8, 1967
- Place in the animal cycle
- 7 of 12
January and February: if you were born from January 1 to 20, 1966, your sign is still the Wood Snake of 1965; if you were born from January 1 to February 8, 1967, you still belong to the Year of the Fire Horse.
Check your birth date in the calculator1966 in the Chinese calendar
Chinese year 1966 begins on Friday, January 21, 1966, and ends on Wednesday, February 8, 1967, the day before the Year of the Fire Goat begins. It has a full 384 days, because it is a leap year with 13 lunar months; the next one comes in 1968. The Chinese calendar adds the extra month roughly every two or three years so that it doesn't drift away from the seasons.
The year opens with the new moon on Friday, January 21, 1966 at 10:46 a.m. ET, which is 11:46 p.m. China Standard Time, so the date is the same in New York and in Beijing.
The Lantern Festival, which closes the New Year celebrations, comes on the fifteenth day of the first month, so on Friday, February 4, 1966. The year's first full moon falls on Saturday, February 5, 1966 at 10:58 a.m. ET.
It is year 43 of the sixty-year cycle that began in 1924 with the Wood Rat. In Chinese this year is called 丙午 (bǐngwǔ): the heavenly stem 丙 gives the element and the earthly branch 午 the animal.
Lìchūn 1966: when the year begins in Ba Zi astrology
In Ba Zi astrology, the Four Pillars of Destiny, the year 1966 begins not at the lunar New Year but at the moment of lìchūn (立春, “start of spring”), when the Sun reaches 315° of ecliptic longitude: on Friday, February 4, 1966 at 1:37 a.m. Eastern Time. That is 14 days after Chinese New Year, so anyone born between January 21 and that moment already has the Fire Horse sign in the lunar calendar but still the Wood Snake sign in Ba Zi.
This page and the calculator give your sign by the lunar calendar.
Horse personality traits
The Horse is the sign of freedom and energy. It is sociable, honest and enthusiastic, and it loves movement, travel and new experiences.
The element of 1966: Fire
Passion, courage and a need for action. Fire adds temperament and charisma, along with a tendency to flare up.
The Fire element covers two years in a row, 1966 (yang) and 1967 (yin), and comes back every ten years: before that in 1956–1957, next in 1976–1977.
The Fire Horse: animal and element together
Fire is the Horse's fixed element, and the Fire Horse has the most energy and temperament of them all. In Japan the superstition about women born in a Fire Horse year (hinoeuma) was so strong that in 1966 about a quarter fewer babies were born there than the year before. The sign itself is seen as bold, charismatic and independent, though it can be hot-headed and impatient.
Horse compatibility
Trine
The Tiger and the Dog share its idealism and temperament. With the Tiger the Horse shares courage and drive, while the Dog gives it loyalty and support.
Secret friend
The Goat calms the Horse's restlessness and gives it warmth, and the Horse brings energy and courage into the Goat's life. Tradition sees them as a very harmonious pair.
Opposite sign
The Rat stands opposite the Horse. The Rat plans and saves, the Horse lives in the moment and prizes freedom, so they easily clash over money and the pace of life.
Born in 1966: your age and your own sign's year
In 2026, people born in 1966 turn 60 years old. The Year of the Fire Horse is running now, so for people born in the Year of the Fire Horse it is their fifth běnmìngnián, the year of their own sign. Tradition sees it as a time of tests and change, and a touch of red in what you wear is meant to keep bad luck away.
Other Horse years
The Horse comes back every 12 years, each time with a different element. The exact combination of 1966, the Fire Horse, returns every 60 years: in 1906, 1966 and 2026.
| Year | Sign | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 1930 | Metal Horse | 01/30/1930 – 02/16/1931 |
| 1942 | Water Horse | 02/15/1942 – 02/04/1943 |
| 1954 | Wood Horse | 02/03/1954 – 01/23/1955 |
| 1966 | Fire Horse | 01/21/1966 – 02/08/1967 |
| 1978 | Earth Horse | 02/07/1978 – 01/27/1979 |
| 1990 | Metal Horse | 01/27/1990 – 02/14/1991 |
| 2002 | Water Horse | 02/12/2002 – 01/31/2003 |
| 2014 | Wood Horse | 01/31/2014 – 02/18/2015 |
| 2026 | Fire Horse now | 02/17/2026 – 02/05/2027 |
The year before and the year after
The Chinese zodiac is a cultural tradition more than two thousand years old, not a science. We calculate the dates and signs precisely, but read the personality descriptions as food for thought, not as a prophecy.
Frequently asked questions
What Chinese zodiac sign is 1966?
In the Chinese calendar 1966 is the Year of the Fire Horse: a yang sign with the Fire element. That Chinese year runs from January 21, 1966 to February 8, 1967, so anyone born in that window has the Fire Horse sign.
What is my Chinese zodiac sign if I was born in January or February 1966?
The date of Chinese New Year decides it, and in 1966 that date is January 21. If you were born from January 1 to 20, 1966, your sign is still the Wood Snake of 1965; from January 21 on, your sign is the Fire Horse.
When does 1966 begin in Ba Zi astrology?
At the moment of lìchūn, when the Sun reaches 315° of ecliptic longitude: on Friday, February 4, 1966 at 1:37 a.m. Eastern Time. That is 14 days after Chinese New Year, so anyone born between January 21 and that moment already has the Fire Horse sign in the lunar calendar but still the Wood Snake sign in Ba Zi.
When is Chinese New Year 1966?
Chinese New Year 1966 falls on Friday, January 21, 1966, the day of the new moon by the date in Beijing. The new moon comes at 11:46 p.m. China Standard Time; in New York it falls on Friday, January 21, 1966 at 10:46 a.m. ET. The next New Year, which opens the Year of the Fire Goat, falls on Thursday, February 9, 1967.
Is 1966 a yin or yang year?
1966 is a yang year, because Chinese tradition gives yang to even years and yin to odd ones. Yang is outward energy: active, direct and quick to get things started. The Horse is always yang, and from one Horse year to the next only the element changes: after the Year of the Fire Horse comes the Year of the Earth Horse in 1978.
Your AI forecast for the Year of the Fire Horse
The calculator tells you your sign. In the Sanctuary, AI sets it against the sign of the current year and writes a forecast for you: love, work and money, health, and your lucky months. You get 5 free tokens to start, and a forecast costs 1 token.
Create a free account