Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
2013 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 2013.
The answer
2013 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 10 February 2013 to 30 January 2014, so people born from 1 January to 9 February 2013 belong to the previous animal, the Dragon. China recorded 17.76 million births in 2013.
2013 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 1953 and comes again in 2073
- Starts
- Sunday, 10 February 2013 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Thursday, 30 January 2014 · the Year of the Horse begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 2013 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 2013
- 17.76 million in mainland China (NBS), −10% on 2012
- Age in 2026
- Turns 13 · 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 2013? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 2013 the cut-off was 10 February 2013.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 9 Feb 2013 2013 | Dragon 龙 | Water | 壬辰 |
| 10 Feb 2013 – 31 Dec 2013 | Snake 蛇 | Water | 癸巳 |
| 1 Jan 2014 – 30 Jan 2014 | Snake 蛇 (still) | Water | 癸巳 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 2013 in 2013) 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 2013
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 17.76 million births in mainland China in 2013, −10% compared with 2012 (19.73 million); 2014 had 18.97 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 2013 ranks 51th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 2013’s babies belong to the Dragon and the first weeks of 2014 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2025 | Wood Snake 木蛇 · 乙巳 | 29 Jan 2025 | 16 Feb 2026 |
| 2037 | Fire Snake 火蛇 · 丁巳 | 15 Feb 2037 | 3 Feb 2038 |
| 2049 | Earth Snake 土蛇 · 己巳 | 2 Feb 2049 | 22 Jan 2050 |
| 2061 | Metal Snake 金蛇 · 辛巳 | 21 Jan 2061 | 8 Feb 2062 |
| 2073 | Water Snake 水蛇 · 癸巳 | 7 Feb 2073 | 26 Jan 2074 |
Matches for people born in 2013
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 2013
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 2013. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 2013 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 10 February 2013 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 24 February 2013 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 4 April 2013 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 12 June 2013 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 19 September 2013 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 9 February 2013 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 2013?
2013 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 10 February 2013 and ended on 30 January 2014; 2014 is the Year of the Horse.
I was born in January or February 2013. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Snake started on 10 February 2013. Born on or after that date, you are a Snake; born between 1 January and 9 February 2013, 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 2013 in 2013; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 2013 in the Chinese zodiac?
Water (水, shuǐ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 癸 (guǐ), which also makes 2013 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 1953 and the next is 2073.
How old is someone born in 2013 in 2026?
Someone born in 2013 turns 13 in 2026 (12 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 14 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Snake?
2037, starting on 15 February 2037. For someone born in 2013 that is a 本命年 (běnmìngnián), their own zodiac year, which tradition treats as a year to be careful in; many people wear something red for it.
How many babies were born in China in 2013?
About 17.76 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, −10% compared with 2012. That ranks 2013 51th 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
Newsletter · Free · Every Thursday
The China Brief
What China is talking about, in plain English. Every Thursday.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click.