1976 Chinese zodiac sign: Fire Dragon

Chinese year 1976 begins on Saturday, January 31, 1976, and ends on Thursday, February 17, 1977, the day before the Year of the Fire Snake begins. It has a full 384 days, because it is a leap year with 13 lunar months; the next one comes in 1979. 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 Saturday, January 31, 1976 at 1:20 a.m. ET, which is 2:20 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 Saturday, February 14, 1976. The year's first full moon falls on Sunday, February 15, 1976 at 11:43 a.m. ET.

It is year 53 of the sixty-year cycle that began in 1924 with the Wood Rat. In Chinese this year is called 丙辰 (bǐngchén): the heavenly stem 丙 gives the element and the earthly branch 辰 the animal.

In Ba Zi astrology, the Four Pillars of Destiny, the year 1976 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 Wednesday, February 4, 1976 at 11:39 a.m. Eastern Time. That is 4 days after Chinese New Year, so anyone born between January 31 and that moment already has the Fire Dragon sign in the lunar calendar but still the Wood Rabbit sign in Ba Zi.

This page and the calculator give your sign by the lunar calendar.

The Dragon is the only mythical creature in the Chinese zodiac and a symbol of imperial power, which is why in China a Dragon year is considered the best time to have a baby. The sign carries energy, confidence and big ambitions.

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, 1976 (yang) and 1977 (yin), and comes back every ten years: before that in 1966–1967, next in 1986–1987.

The Fire Dragon is one of the most charismatic combinations in the Chinese zodiac. Fire amplifies its ambition and confidence, so it acts on a grand scale and wins over crowds with ease. It is honest and brave. When someone stands in its way it can explode, and it is slow to accept that it isn't always right.

In 2026, people born in 1976 turn 50 years old. The Year of the Fire Horse is running now, which tradition counts as a year with no special tie for the Dragon. People born in 1976 reach their next běnmìngnián, the year of their own sign, in 2036, when they turn 60 years old.

The Dragon comes back every 12 years, each time with a different element. The exact combination of 1976, the Fire Dragon, returns every 60 years: in 1916, 1976 and 2036.