Born in 1956: the Monkey

1956 is a yang year, a Fire Monkey. In the traditional calendar it carries the two-part name 丙申 (bǐngshēn), year 33 of the 60-year cycle. The Fire element adds a dynamic, warm and a little restless streak to the Monkey's base character (clever, playful, curious), and this is the active, outgoing half of the cycle.

The 1956 lunar year ran from February 12, 1956 up to the day before Chinese New Year 1957 (January 31, 1957). If you were born on or after February 12, 1956 you are a Monkey; if you were born earlier in 1956, you belong to the previous year's sign, the Goat. Someone born in 1956 turns 70 in 2026 (or 69 until their birthday for the year).

Calendar note: 1956's Chinese New Year fell on a Sunday, and that lunar year ran 354 days — an ordinary 12-month lunar year.

What the Fire element adds

Fire is the element of summer, energy and passion. A Fire year turns the volume up — more drive, more warmth, more willingness to take a risk — but also a shorter fuse and less patience for slow, routine work.

The full 60-year cycle pairs each of the 12 animals with each of the 5 elements, so a Fire Monkey year comes around only once every 60 years — the last one before 1956 was 1896, and the next is 2016. People born in it are said to combine clever and playful with the element's dynamic nature. Every Monkey year is yang (the active, outgoing type). See the Fire element and the full Fire Monkey profile.

1956 at a glance

Animal	🐒 Monkey (猴)
Element	Fire
Yin or yang	yang
Traditional year name	丙申 (bǐngshēn)
Place in the 60-year cycle	33 of 60
Zodiac year runs	February 12, 1956 to January 30, 1957
Age in 2026	69–70
Traditional best match	Snake
Traditional hardest match	Tiger
Lucky numbers	4, 9
Lucky colors	white, gold, blue

Monkey compatibility

In the traditional chart, a 1956 Monkey gets on best with the Snake (the "secret friend" pairing), and also with Rat and Dragon. The hardest pairing is the Tiger, six years apart in the cycle. See the full Monkey compatibility table.

Where a birthday around 1956 lands

The zodiac year does not follow the calendar year, so 1956 is spread across two calendar years. This table shows exactly which animal a birthday gets.

Birthday	Zodiac animal
January 1 to February 11, 1956	Goat (the 1955 year)
February 12, 1956 to December 31, 1956	Monkey
January 1, 1957 to January 30, 1957	Monkey (still the 1956 year)
January 31, 1957 onward	Rooster (the 1957 year)

Zodiac years ahead for a 1956 Monkey

The next own-sign year for someone born in 1956 is 2028, around age 72, then 2040, around age 84. Tradition calls this your běnmìngnián. Despite being "your" year, it is thought to clash with Tài Suì (the God of Age) and to carry a higher chance of setbacks, so many people wear red through it for protection.

The element pair: 1956 and 1957

Fire years come in pairs. 1956 is the yang year and 1957 is the yin year, the Rooster. So a 1956 Monkey and a 1957 Rooster share an element and sit one year apart in the cycle. The traditional chart rates the Monkey and Rooster pairing as moderate: it has no special bond or conflict, so how well it goes depends on the two people more than on the calendar. See the Monkey and Rooster pairing.

Other Monkey years

1932 1944 1968 1980 1992 2004 2016 2028 2040

Full Monkey personality profile →   Monkey compatibility with every sign →

Know your exact birth date? Use the calculator for your full combination →

What a Fire year changes for the Monkey

Talking. In conversation, a Fire Monkey leans further into action, saying yes before thinking it all the way through, which is the main way 1956's version differs from the same animal born under another element.

Work. Fire intensifies and adds urgency to the Monkey's usual working style, so a 1956 Monkey tends to run things hotter and faster than most. The kind of work the sign suits stays the same; the element changes how the job gets done.

Love. Fire is the element of summer, energy and passion, so in a relationship a Fire Monkey shows affection loudly and quickly.

For the sign as a whole (how the Monkey communicates, works and loves in every element) see the Monkey profile. This page covers what is different about 1956.

Known Monkeys

Tom Hanks was born in the 1956 lunar year, an exact Fire Monkey match for this page. Other well-known Monkeys, from other years, include Will Smith, Celine Dion and Kim Kardashian. A shared sign says nothing about how anyone's life goes; these are simply familiar names to put to the sign.