In the Chinese zodiac, 1989 is the Year of the Snake, with Earth as its element. The Earth Snake year began on Monday, February 6, 1989 and ended on Friday, January 26, 1990. If your birthday falls between those dates, you are an Earth Snake. If it falls from January 1 to February 5, 1989, you are an Earth Dragon.
When did the Year of the Snake start and end in 1989?
| Birthday | Sign |
|---|---|
| January 1 to February 5, 1989 | Earth Dragon |
| February 6, 1989 to January 26, 1990 | Earth Snake |
| January 27, 1990 and later | Metal Horse |
It was an ordinary year of 12 lunar months and 355 days. The first 36 days of 1989 belong to the Dragon, and the Snake year reached 26 days into 1990.
Dragon or Snake: the five weeks that matter
Most questions about 1989 come from people born in January or early February, and the answer is not the one a simple chart gives. The Dragon year had started late, on February 17, 1988, and it ran its full course to February 5, 1989.
- Born on January 15, 1989? You are a Dragon. See 1988 in the Chinese zodiac.
- Born on February 5, 1989? A Dragon, on the last day of its year.
- Born on February 6, 1989? You are a Snake, born on Lunar New Year's Day.
- Born on January 20, 1990? A Snake. The Horse year began a week later; see 1990 in the Chinese zodiac.
One part of the label is the same on both sides of February 6. Each element covers two years in a row, and 1988 and 1989 are the two Earth years, so early-1989 Dragons and the Snakes who follow them share an element.
To settle a date, enter it below. The tool gives the animal and element and is also on the Birthday Profile page.
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What does Earth Snake mean?
The Snake is traditionally said to be wise, intuitive and calm under pressure; National Museums Liverpool describes the sign as wise and intense. Earth is the element linked with stability, patience and practicality. An Earth Snake, in the tradition, is a thoughtful sign under a steady element. Take it as folklore about a symbol, since it tells you nothing reliable about a person.
In the old system of year names, 1989 is ji-si. Ji is the sixth of the ten "heavenly stems" and si the "earthly branch" that goes with the Snake. Our page about Chinese New Year animals explains the 60-year cycle the two series make. The sign's years, traits and element types are in the Snake in the Chinese zodiac.
When was the last Earth Snake year, and when is the next?
| Earth Snake year | First day | Last day |
|---|---|---|
| 1929 | February 10, 1929 | January 29, 1930 |
| 1989 | February 6, 1989 | January 26, 1990 |
| 2049 | February 2, 2049 | January 22, 2050 |
Sixty years separate each pair, the time it takes for an animal and an element to meet again. In this case the dates also stay close: all three years begin in the first ten days of February.
How old are people born in 1989, and when is their next Snake year?
People born in 1989 turn 38 in 2027. Their sign's year has only just gone by. The most recent Year of the Snake ran from January 29, 2025 to February 16, 2026, the third return for the 1989 Snakes after 2001 and 2013. The next one begins on February 15, 2037 and ends on February 3, 2038.
A person's own zodiac year is called the ben ming nian. Folk belief treats it as a hurdle and not as a lucky year, and people traditionally wear red during it. For this group it is now behind them for another decade.
The years on either side
- 1988 was an Earth Dragon year: February 17, 1988 to February 5, 1989.
- 1990 was a Metal Horse year: January 27, 1990 to February 14, 1991.