1989 · 己巳 · Yin Earth Snake
When does the Year of the Snake start in 1989?
The Year of the Snake (己巳, Earth Snake) begins on Monday, February 6, 1989 by the lunar calendar, at Lunar New Year. Saju, the Korean Four Pillars (BaZi in Chinese), starts it 2 days earlier, at Ipchun: February 3, 1989 at 20:27 UTC, which is 5:27 am on February 4 in Seoul and 3:27 pm on February 3 in New York and Toronto.
By Lunar New Year
Monday, February 6, 1989
The same day in Korea (Seollal) and China.
In saju, at Ipchun (입춘)
February 3, 1989 · 20:27 UTC
Feb 4, 5:27 am in Seoul · Feb 3, 3:27 pm in New York
The Ipchun minute
Ipchun 1989, around the world
Ipchun is a moment, not a date: the Sun reaching 315 degrees along its path. Every clock passes it at once, so the local date can differ.
| Place | Local time | Offset |
|---|---|---|
| UTC | Feb 3, 20:27 | UTC |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 5:27 am | UTC+9 |
| Beijing | Feb 4, 4:27 am | UTC+8 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 7:27 am | UTC+11 |
| London | Feb 3, 8:27 pm | UTC |
| New York and Toronto | Feb 3, 3:27 pm | UTC-5 |
| Los Angeles and Vancouver | Feb 3, 12:27 pm | UTC-8 |
Local times use each place's clock in 1989, daylight saving and old offsets included. Computed with lunar-javascript, the same calendar engine as the free episode; almanacs can differ by a minute.
Before and after
Dragon to Snake
Until the start
戊辰
Earth Dragon
Yang Earth
From the start
己巳
Earth Snake
Yin Earth
The saju verdict
Born Jan 20 to Feb 20, 1989?
- 1Born before February 3: both calendars say Earth Dragon.
- 2From the Ipchun minute (5:27 am on February 4 in Seoul, 3:27 pm on February 3 in New York) to February 5: saju says Snake, Lunar New Year still says Dragon. About 2 days where the two disagree.
- 3Born on February 6 or later: both say Earth Snake.
| Born | Lunar New Year | Saju (Ipchun) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 20 Fri | Dragon | Dragon |
| Jan 21 Sat | Dragon | Dragon |
| Jan 22 Sun | Dragon | Dragon |
| Jan 23 Mon | Dragon | Dragon |
| Jan 24 Tue | Dragon | Dragon |
| Jan 25 Wed | Dragon | Dragon |
| Jan 26 Thu | Dragon | Dragon |
| Jan 27 Fri | Dragon | Dragon |
| Jan 28 Sat | Dragon | Dragon |
| Jan 29 Sun | Dragon | Dragon |
| Jan 30 Mon | Dragon | Dragon |
| Jan 31 Tue | Dragon | Dragon |
| Feb 1 Wed | Dragon | Dragon |
| Feb 2 Thu | Dragon | Dragon |
| Feb 3 Fri | Dragon | Dragon → SnakeSnake from 8:27 pm in London, 3:27 pm in New York and Toronto, 12:27 pm in Los Angeles and Vancouver. Dragon all day in Seoul, Beijing, Sydney. |
| Feb 4 Sat | Dragon | Dragon → SnakeSnake from 5:27 am in Seoul, 4:27 am in Beijing, 7:27 am in Sydney. Snake all day in London, New York and Toronto, Los Angeles and Vancouver. |
| Feb 5 Sun | Dragon | Snake |
| Feb 6 Mon | Snake | Snake |
| Feb 7 Tue | Snake | Snake |
| Feb 8 Wed | Snake | Snake |
| Feb 9 Thu | Snake | Snake |
| Feb 10 Fri | Snake | Snake |
| Feb 11 Sat | Snake | Snake |
| Feb 12 Sun | Snake | Snake |
| Feb 13 Mon | Snake | Snake |
| Feb 14 Tue | Snake | Snake |
| Feb 15 Wed | Snake | Snake |
| Feb 16 Thu | Snake | Snake |
| Feb 17 Fri | Snake | Snake |
| Feb 18 Sat | Snake | Snake |
| Feb 19 Sun | Snake | Snake |
| Feb 20 Mon | Snake | Snake |
Highlighted rows are the days the two calendars disagree. Switch days are shown for the places above; in other time zones Ipchun can fall a day earlier or later. Check any birthday.
Questions
1989 year start FAQ
Is someone born on February 5, 1989 a Dragon or a Snake?
By Lunar New Year (February 6) still a Dragon. In saju a Snake, because the saju year had already turned at Ipchun (February 3, 20:27 UTC). Most zodiac charts and the holidays follow Lunar New Year; saju and BaZi follow Ipchun.
When did the Year of the Snake start in 1989?
By the lunar calendar on Monday, February 6, 1989, Lunar New Year. In saju at Ipchun (February 3, 20:27 UTC), the moment the Sun reached 315 degrees, known in Korean as Ipchun (입춘, 立春), the start of spring.
When was Lunar New Year 1989 in Korea?
Seollal (설날) fell on Monday, February 6, 1989, the same day as in China.
Why does saju start the year at Ipchun?
Saju counts its years and months by the sun. The year turns at Ipchun, the start of spring, and each month at one of the solar terms. Lunar New Year follows the moon instead, so it moves between Jan 21 and Feb 20 while Ipchun stays around Feb 4.
Free episode · 4 panels
Your year, your Day Master
Type your birthday for your Day Master and a free episode. Add your birth city and time, and saju reads your year from Ipchun, to the minute.