Began February 6, 1970 · 355 days long
1970: year of the Metal Dog
The Dog year started on February 6, not on January 1 — so anyone born in 1970 before that date is a Rooster.
- Opening new moon
- Feb 6, 1970 7:13 AM UTC
- In Beijing
- 3:13 PM Fri, Feb 6 · sets the date
- Year of the Dog
- 355 days 12 lunar months
- It ends
- Jan 26, 1971 10:55 PM UTC
New moons: NASA JPL DE440. New-year dates: Hong Kong Observatory.
Exact times
Chinese New Year 1970: the new moon in your city
The Metal Dog year opened with the new moon at 7:13 AM UTC on February 6, 1970 — 3:13 PM on February 6 in Beijing, the time the calendar reckons by, and 2:13 AM on February 6 in New York, 8:13 AM on February 6 in London and 5:13 PM on February 6 in Sydney.
| City | New moon that opens the year |
|---|---|
| UTC | Fri, Feb 6, 1970 |
| Honolulu United States | 9:13 PM Thu, Feb 5, 1970 · UTC−10 |
| Anchorage United States | 9:13 PM Thu, Feb 5, 1970 · UTC−10 |
| Los Angeles United States | 11:13 PM Thu, Feb 5, 1970 · UTC−8 |
| Phoenix United States | 12:13 AM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC−7 |
| Denver United States | 12:13 AM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC−7 |
| Chicago United States | 1:13 AM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC−6 |
| Mexico City Mexico | 1:13 AM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC−6 |
| New York United States | 2:13 AM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC−5 |
| Toronto Canada | 2:13 AM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC−5 |
| Bogotá Colombia | 2:13 AM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC−5 |
| Lima Peru | 2:13 AM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC−5 |
| Caracas Venezuela | 3:13 AM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC−4 |
| Santiago Chile | 4:13 AM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC−3 |
| Buenos Aires Argentina | 4:13 AM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC−3 |
| São Paulo Brazil | 4:13 AM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC−3 |
| Reykjavík Iceland | 7:13 AM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC |
| London United Kingdom | 8:13 AM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC+1 |
| Lagos Nigeria | 8:13 AM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC+1 |
| Paris France | 8:13 AM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC+1 |
| Berlin Germany | 8:13 AM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC+1 |
| Johannesburg South Africa | 9:13 AM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC+2 |
| Cairo Egypt | 9:13 AM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC+2 |
| Athens Greece | 9:13 AM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC+2 |
| Istanbul Turkey | 9:13 AM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC+2 |
| Moscow Russia | 10:13 AM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC+3 |
| Nairobi Kenya | 10:13 AM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC+3 |
| Tehran Iran | 10:43 AM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC+3:30 |
| Dubai United Arab Emirates | 11:13 AM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC+4 |
| Karachi Pakistan | 12:13 PM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC+5 |
| New Delhi India | 12:43 PM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC+5:30 |
| Kathmandu Nepal | 12:43 PM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC+5:30 |
| Dhaka Bangladesh | 1:13 PM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC+6 |
| Bangkok Thailand | 2:13 PM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC+7 |
| Jakarta Indonesia | 2:13 PM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC+7 |
| Singapore | 2:43 PM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC+7:30 |
| Beijing China | 3:13 PM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC+8 |
| Manila Philippines | 3:13 PM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC+8 |
| Perth Australia | 3:13 PM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC+8 |
| Seoul South Korea | 4:13 PM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC+9 |
| Tokyo Japan | 4:13 PM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC+9 |
| Adelaide Australia | 4:43 PM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC+9:30 |
| Brisbane Australia | 5:13 PM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC+10 |
| Sydney Australia | 5:13 PM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC+10 |
| Auckland New Zealand | 7:13 PM Fri, Feb 6, 1970 · UTC+12 |
New moon: JPL DE440 (Swiss Ephemeris within 8 s); 1970 date as in the Hong Kong Observatory calendar. Local times: IANA time zones, to the minute.
18 pages · printable
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Every retrograde, eclipse, new and full moon of 2027 to the minute, already converted to your city. A month to a page, ready to print.
Personality
The Metal Dog personality
Anyone born from February 6, 1970 through January 26, 1971 is a Metal Dog: the yang metal stem 庚 over the 戌 branch.
The Dog's own Earth feeds Metal here, which drains as much as it gives: productive, but inclined to spend itself. Metal brings discipline, resolve and sharp edges — traditionally the most determined version, and the least willing to bend.
Stem and branch
1970 is 庚戌 (Gēngxū)
Na yin — the sounding element
Gold of Hairpins and Bracelets 釵釧金
Metal made into jewelry. Readings give these years refinement, taste and personal value — worth expressed through beauty and care rather than force.
1970 therefore carries metal from its stem and metal from its na yin — the same element twice. What na yin is →
Li Chun inside the year
A "blind" year with no spring
The two Li Chun dates around it are February 4, 1970 and February 4, 1971, Beijing time. The Dog year spans February 6, 1970 to January 26, 1971, so neither date sits inside it: a blind year (无春年). What double spring and blind years mean →
Who clashes with a 1970 Dog
The 戌 branch puts a 1970 Dog opposite the Dragon on the wheel, the traditional clash; the nearest Dragon year after it was 1976. Its harmony partner is the Rabbit, whose year came round 5 years later, in 1975. How the Dog and Dragon get on →
Dogs born in 1970 turn 56 in 2026 — 57 by the traditional count, which starts at one.
If you were born in 1970
- Born January 1 – February 5, 1970: an Earth Rooster, the animal of 1969.
- Born February 6, 1970 or later in the year: a Metal Dog.
A year-only calculator mislabels 36 days of 1970, everything from January 1 to February 5. Roughly one US birth in 11 falls on those dates — 9.5% in SSA records for 2000–2014. Check your exact date →
The Dog across the cycle
The animal returns every 12 years but the element every 60, so each of these years is a different Dog.
The lunar calendar of 1970
Why 355 days, and not 365
No month was doubled in 1970, so the year ended on January 26, 1971 after twelve months — seven long ones of 30 days and five short ones of 29, 355 days in all.
The 30-day months were the 1st, 4th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 10th and 12th.
Festival dates in the 1970 lunar year
| Festival | Lunar date | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Lantern Festival 元宵节 | first month, day 15 | Fri, Feb 20, 1970 |
| Dragon Boat Festival 端午节 | fifth month, day 5 | Mon, Jun 8, 1970 |
| Qixi, the Double Seventh 七夕 | seventh month, day 7 | Sat, Aug 8, 1970 |
| Ghost Festival 中元节 | seventh month, day 15 | Sun, Aug 16, 1970 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋节 | eighth month, day 15 | Tue, Sep 15, 1970 |
| Double Ninth Festival 重阳节 | ninth month, day 9 | Thu, Oct 8, 1970 |
| Winter solstice 冬至 | solar term, Sun at 270° | Tue, Dec 22, 1970 |
| Laba Festival 腊八节 | twelfth month, day 8 | Mon, Jan 4, 1971 |
The year's first full moon arrived at 4:18 PM on February 21, the day after the Lantern Festival. This time the calendar and the sky agreed: the Moon was exactly full on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, at 7:09 PM Beijing time on September 15.
Dates follow Beijing time (UTC+8), the reference clock of the Chinese calendar. Why lunar years differ in length →
Lunar years around 1970
Lengths differ because a leap month is inserted every two or three years. This is what makes the new year date jump rather than drift.
By date, 1970 sits mid-table: of the 110 new years, 58 fall earlier in the calendar and 47 later. Four other years share the date. Twelve years earlier, 1958 began on February 18; twelve years later, 1982 began on January 25 — both marked in lavender with the other Dog years.
Cite this page
AstroHot. “Chinese Horoscope 1970: Zodiac Year of the Metal Dog.” Accessed October 28, 2026. https://astrohot.com/chinese-horoscope/year/1970/
For Wikipedia
{{cite web |title=Chinese Horoscope 1970: Zodiac Year of the Metal Dog |url=https://astrohot.com/chinese-horoscope/year/1970/ |website=AstroHot |access-date=2026-10-28}}