In the Chinese zodiac, 1990 is the Year of the Horse, with Metal as its element. The Metal Horse year began on Saturday, January 27, 1990 and ended on Thursday, February 14, 1991. It was an unusually long year, so it takes in more birthdays than most. People born from January 1 to January 26, 1990 are Earth Snakes.
What are the exact dates of the 1990 Horse year?
The zodiac year starts on Lunar New Year. In 1990 that came early, on January 27, and the following new year came late, on February 15, 1991. Between them lie 384 days.
| Birthday | Sign |
|---|---|
| January 1 to January 26, 1990 | Earth Snake |
| January 27, 1990 to February 14, 1991 | Metal Horse |
| February 15, 1991 and later | Metal Goat |
Notice the second row. Nearly every person born in 1990 is a Horse, and so is everyone born in the first six weeks of 1991.
Why did the year last 384 days?
Because it had a thirteenth month. The traditional Chinese calendar counts months by the moon, and 12 lunar months add up to only about 354 days. To keep the calendar in step with the seasons, an extra "leap" month is added every two or three years.
1990 was one of those years. The Hong Kong Observatory's calendar tables show the fifth lunar month twice: once beginning on May 24, 1990, and again beginning on June 23. That repeat is the leap month. It pushed the end of the Horse year into the middle of February 1991, and the year happened to finish on Valentine's Day.
Were you born at the edge of the year?
- Born on January 20, 1990? The Horse year was a week away. You are a Snake; see the Snake in the Chinese zodiac.
- Born on January 27, 1990? You are a Horse, born on Lunar New Year's Day.
- Born on February 1, 1991? A Horse as well, although the calendar says 1991.
- Born on February 15, 1991? You are a Goat, the first of the new year.
For any other date, the tool below gives the animal and element. It can also be opened on the Birthday Profile page.
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What does Metal Horse mean?
The year has two labels. The Horse is traditionally said to be free-spirited, active and warm-hearted; National Museums Liverpool describes the sign as popular, enthusiastic and impatient. Metal is the element linked with determination, discipline and strength. In the tradition, then, a Metal Horse is pictured as the Horse's energy with a firm will behind it. This is folklore, and it describes a symbol, not a person.
In the old system of year names, 1990 is geng-wu. Geng is the seventh of the ten "heavenly stems" and wu the "earthly branch" that belongs to the Horse. The way the two series fit together is explained on our page about Chinese New Year animals. All the Horse years, with the sign's traits and element types, are in the Horse in the Chinese zodiac.
When was the last Metal Horse year, and when is the next?
A Horse year comes every 12 years. A Metal Horse year comes every 60.
| Metal Horse year | First day | Last day |
|---|---|---|
| 1930 | January 30, 1930 | February 16, 1931 |
| 1990 | January 27, 1990 | February 14, 1991 |
| 2050 | January 23, 2050 | February 10, 2051 |
All three begin in late January and run well into the next February, so the same warning applies to each: the early weeks of the following calendar year still belong to the Horse.
How old are people born in 1990, and when is their next Horse year?
People born in 1990 turn 37 in 2027. Their sign's year is not ahead of them but under way: the current Year of the Horse began on February 17, 2026 and ends on February 5, 2027. It is a Fire Horse year, the third return of the Horse for the class of 1990, after 2002 and 2014. The next one begins on February 4, 2038.
Tradition calls a person's own zodiac year the ben ming nian. By folk belief it is a hurdle and not a lucky year, and people mark it by wearing red. The year that follows is the Goat's: see Year of the Goat 2027.
The years on either side
- 1989 was an Earth Snake year: February 6, 1989 to January 26, 1990. See 1989 in the Chinese zodiac.
- 1991 was a Metal Goat year: February 15, 1991 to February 3, 1992. See 1991 in the Chinese zodiac.