1961: Year of the Metal Ox
The 1961 Chinese zodiac year is the Yin Metal Ox, and it runs from 15 February 1961 to 4 February 1962 — not from 1 January.
- Animal
- Ox 牛
- Element and polarity
- Yin Metal
- Gan-Zhi
- Xin Chou 辛丑
- Age this zodiac year
- Born in 1961, a person turns 65 during the 2026 year
Born early in 1961? You may be Rat, not Ox
Chinese New Year 1961 fell on 15 February 1961. Anyone born between 1 January 1961 and 14 February 1961 — a window of 45 days — belongs to the 1960 zodiac year, the Yang Metal Rat, and not to the Ox.
Check an exact birth date against the 15 February 1961 boundary.
Exact 1961 zodiac year dates
The 1961 lunar year ran its ordinary twelve months, 355 days in total.
Other Ox years around 1961
| Ox year | Complete name | Begins |
|---|---|---|
| 1925 | Yin Wood Ox | 24 January 1925 |
| 1937 | Yin Fire Ox | 11 February 1937 |
| 1949 | Yin Earth Ox | 29 January 1949 |
| 1973 | Yin Water Ox | 3 February 1973 |
| 1985 | Yin Wood Ox | 20 February 1985 |
| 1997 | Yin Fire Ox | 7 February 1997 |
The exact pairing 辛丑 — Yin Metal Ox — returns only once every sixty years: 1901, 2021, 2081.