When did the Year of the Cat begin in 1987? - briefly
The Year of the Cat began on February 20, 1987.
When did the Year of the Cat begin in 1987? - in detail
The Year of the Cat, also known as the Year of the Tiger, is a significant component of the Chinese zodiac calendar. To determine when the Year of the Cat began in 1987, it's essential to understand the structure and principles of this ancient system.
The Chinese zodiac operates on a 12-year cycle, with each year assigned an animal sign. The sequence is: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. This cycle repeats every 12 years, meaning that the Year of the Tiger occurs once every twelve years.
In 1987, the Chinese zodiac calendar entered a new cycle year. According to the Chinese lunar calendar, the start of a new year is marked by the first new moon after the winter solstice, which typically falls between late January and mid-February in the Gregorian calendar. The specific date varies slightly each year because the lunar calendar is based on the phases of the moon rather than the fixed dates of the solar calendar.
For 1987, the first day of the Chinese New Year fell on February 6. This date marked the beginning of the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese zodiac cycle. Therefore, to find when the previous Year of the Tiger occurred, we need to look back one full 12-year cycle from 1987.
Counting backwards from 1987, the Year of the Tiger would have begun in 1974. This year started on February 3, according to the Chinese lunar calendar. Thus, the Year of the Cat, or the Year of the Tiger, began on February 3, 1974.
In summary, while 1987 was the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese zodiac cycle, the most recent Year of the Cat (Tiger) before that occurred from February 3, 1974, to January 22, 1975.