Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1953 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Snake
癸巳年 Water Snake, yin (阴)
Exact dates, who counts as a Snake, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 1953.
The answer
1953 is the Year of the Snake in the Chinese zodiac: a Water Snake year, 癸巳 (guǐ sì) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 14 February 1953 to 2 February 1954, so people born from 1 January to 13 February 1953 belong to the previous animal, the Dragon. China recorded 21.51 million births in 1953.
1953 at a glance
- Animal
- Snake 蛇 (shé), sixth of the 12
- Element
- Water 水, yin (阴), from the stem 癸 (guǐ)
- 60-year cycle
- 癸巳 guǐ sì · the same Water Snake year was 2013 and comes again in after 2100
- Starts
- Saturday, 14 February 1953 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Tuesday, 2 February 1954 · the Year of the Horse begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 1953 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 1953
- 21.51 million in mainland China (NBS), +2.2% on 1952
- Age in 2026
- Turns 73 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2037
- Best matches
- Rooster and Ox (三合 trine), Monkey (六合 pair) · clashes with the Pig
Born in 1953? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1953 the cut-off was 14 February 1953.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 13 Feb 1953 1953 | Dragon 龙 | Water | 壬辰 |
| 14 Feb 1953 – 31 Dec 1953 | Snake 蛇 | Water | 癸巳 |
| 1 Jan 1954 – 2 Feb 1954 | Snake 蛇 (still) | Water | 癸巳 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 1953 in 1953) as the boundary instead, which can move a few days of January or February births to the other animal. The Lunar New Year rule is the everyday one. Not sure? Use the Chinese zodiac calculator.
How many Snakes: China’s births in 1953
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 21.51 million births in mainland China in 1953, +2.2% compared with 1952 (21.05 million); 1954 had 22.6 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 1953 ranks 23th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 1953’s babies belong to the Dragon and the first weeks of 1954 to the Snake. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
What the Snake means
Tradition calls Snake people wise, calm and private, and pairs them best with the Rooster and Ox. The element adds a layer: a Water Snake is read differently from a Wood Snake. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Snake years. Read the full Year of the Snake guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Snake
The Snake returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Water Snake itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1905 | Wood Snake 木蛇 · 乙巳 | 4 Feb 1905 | 24 Jan 1906 |
| 1917 | Fire Snake 火蛇 · 丁巳 | 23 Jan 1917 | 10 Feb 1918 |
| 1929 | Earth Snake 土蛇 · 己巳 | 10 Feb 1929 | 29 Jan 1930 |
| 1941 | Metal Snake 金蛇 · 辛巳 | 27 Jan 1941 | 14 Feb 1942 |
| 1953 | Water Snake 水蛇 · 癸巳 | 14 Feb 1953 | 2 Feb 1954 |
| 1965 | Wood Snake 木蛇 · 乙巳 | 2 Feb 1965 | 20 Jan 1966 |
| 1977 | Fire Snake 火蛇 · 丁巳 | 18 Feb 1977 | 6 Feb 1978 |
| 1989 | Earth Snake 土蛇 · 己巳 | 6 Feb 1989 | 26 Jan 1990 |
| 2001 | Metal Snake 金蛇 · 辛巳 | 24 Jan 2001 | 11 Feb 2002 |
| 2013 | Water Snake 水蛇 · 癸巳 | 10 Feb 2013 | 30 Jan 2014 |
Matches for people born in 1953
Traditional compatibility pairs the 12 animals on a wheel: the three animals four places apart form a 三合 (sānhé) trine, each animal has one 六合 (liùhé) partner, and the animal opposite is its 六冲 (liùchōng) clash. These are folk rules used in match-making and in choosing wedding dates, not predictions.
Festival dates in 1953
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1953. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1953 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 14 February 1953 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 28 February 1953 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 1953 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 15 June 1953 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 22 September 1953 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 13 February 1953 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1953?
1953 is the Year of the Snake (蛇, shé). In the full 60-year cycle it is 癸巳, a Water Snake year, yin (阴). It began on 14 February 1953 and ended on 2 February 1954; 1954 is the Year of the Horse.
I was born in January or February 1953. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Snake started on 14 February 1953. Born on or after that date, you are a Snake; born between 1 January and 13 February 1953, you are a Dragon. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 1953 in 1953; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1953 in the Chinese zodiac?
Water (水, shuǐ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 癸 (guǐ), which also makes 1953 a yin (阴) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Water Snake, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 2013 and the next is after 2100.
How old is someone born in 1953 in 2026?
Someone born in 1953 turns 73 in 2026 (72 until their birthday). In traditional Chinese reckoning (虚岁, xūsuì) a person is one at birth and gains a year at Lunar New Year, so the same person counts as 74 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Snake?
The Year of the Snake returns every 12 years.
How many babies were born in China in 1953?
About 21.51 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, +2.2% compared with 1952. That ranks 1953 23th of the 77 years from 1949 to 2025.
Tools
Sources
- Hong Kong Observatory, Gregorian-Lunar calendar conversion tables, 1901–2100 (Lunar New Year dates) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- National Bureau of Statistics of China, National Data (年度数据 → 人口 → 出生人口) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- NBS, statistical communiqué on 2024 national economic and social development (births 9.54 million) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- NBS, statistical communiqué on 2025 national economic and social development (births 7.92 million) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- NBS public Q&A: where to find births for years before 1982 (data.stats.gov.cn; pre-1982 data from household registration) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, Chinese zodiac (animals, stems and the 60-year cycle) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- China Daily, What is benmingnian? (2 January 2024, in Chinese) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
Update log. 31 October 2026 — published. Lunar New Year and Lichun dates computed in Beijing time and checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables; births from the National Bureau of Statistics annual series. Suggest a correction
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