Chinese calendar
Chinese Calendar 1966
丙午年 Year of the Fire Horse
Chinese New Year, every festival date, the lunar months and the 24 solar terms for 1966.
The answer
In the Chinese calendar, 1966 is the Year of the Horse (Fire Horse, 丙午). Chinese New Year falls on 21 January 1966 and the lunar year ends on 8 February 1967, with a leap 3rd month, so 384 days. Mid-Autumn is on 29 September 1966.
Chinese festivals in 1966
Western dates for 1966. Most festivals follow the lunar calendar; Qingming and the Winter Solstice follow the sun.
- Jan20Thu
Chinese New Year’s Eve除夕
12th month, day 29 · 腊月廿九
Last day of the lunar year: reunion dinner and the CMG Spring Festival Gala.
- Jan21Fri
Chinese New Year (Spring Festival)春节
1st month, day 1 · 正月初一
First day of the lunar year and the biggest family holiday of the year.
- Feb4Fri
Lantern Festival元宵节
1st month, day 15 · 正月十五
Lanterns, riddles and tangyuan; it closes the New Year season.
- Apr5Tue
Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day)清明节
solar term · 3rd month, day 15 · 清明
Families visit and tidy ancestors’ graves. Set by the sun, not the moon.
- Jun23Thu
Dragon Boat Festival端午节
5th month, day 5 · 五月初五
Dragon-boat races and zongzi, sticky rice wrapped in leaves.
- Aug22Mon
Qixi Festival七夕
7th month, day 7 · 七月初七
The cowherd and weaver-girl legend, often called Chinese Valentine’s Day.
- Aug30Tue
Ghost Festival中元节
7th month, day 15 · 七月十五
Offerings for ancestors and wandering spirits.
- Sept29Thu
Mid-Autumn Festival中秋节
8th month, day 15 · 八月十五
Mooncakes and family reunions under the full moon.
- Oct22Sat
Double Ninth Festival重阳节
9th month, day 9 · 九月初九
Climbing heights and honouring older people.
- Dec22Thu
Winter Solstice冬至
solar term · 11th month, day 11 · 冬至
Dumplings or tangyuan, depending on the region. Set by the sun.
Lunar months of the year 1966
Lunar year 1966 runs from 21 January 1966 to 8 February 1967: 13 months, including a leap 3rd month, 384 days.
| Month | Chinese | First day | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st month | 正月 | Fri 21 January 1966 | 30 |
| 2nd month | 二月 | Sun 20 February 1966 | 30 |
| 3rd month | 三月 | Tue 22 March 1966 | 30 |
| Leap 3rd month | 闰三月 | Thu 21 April 1966 | 29 |
| 4th month | 四月 | Fri 20 May 1966 | 30 |
| 5th month | 五月 | Sun 19 June 1966 | 29 |
| 6th month | 六月 | Mon 18 July 1966 | 29 |
| 7th month | 七月 | Tue 16 August 1966 | 30 |
| 8th month | 八月 | Thu 15 September 1966 | 29 |
| 9th month | 九月 | Fri 14 October 1966 | 29 |
| 10th month | 十月 | Sat 12 November 1966 | 30 |
| 11th month | 冬月 | Mon 12 December 1966 | 30 |
| 12th month | 腊月 | Wed 11 January 1967 | 29 |
The 24 solar terms in 1966
Solar terms (节气 jiéqì) mark the sun’s position, so their dates barely move from year to year. Dates are in Beijing time.
- 小寒Minor Cold6 Jan 1966
- 大寒Major Cold20 Jan 1966
- 立春Start of Spring4 Feb 1966
- 雨水Rain Water19 Feb 1966
- 惊蛰Awakening of Insects6 Mar 1966
- 春分Spring Equinox21 Mar 1966
- 清明Pure Brightness (Qingming)5 Apr 1966
- 谷雨Grain Rain20 Apr 1966
- 立夏Start of Summer6 May 1966
- 小满Grain Buds21 May 1966
- 芒种Grain in Ear6 Jun 1966
- 夏至Summer Solstice22 Jun 1966
- 小暑Minor Heat7 Jul 1966
- 大暑Major Heat23 Jul 1966
- 立秋Start of Autumn8 Aug 1966
- 处暑End of Heat23 Aug 1966
- 白露White Dew8 Sept 1966
- 秋分Autumn Equinox23 Sept 1966
- 寒露Cold Dew9 Oct 1966
- 霜降Frost's Descent24 Oct 1966
- 立冬Start of Winter8 Nov 1966
- 小雪Minor Snow23 Nov 1966
- 大雪Major Snow7 Dec 1966
- 冬至Winter Solstice22 Dec 1966
Questions readers ask
When is Chinese New Year 1966?
21 January 1966 (a Friday). It starts the Year of the Horse; New Year’s Eve, the reunion dinner night, is 20 January 1966.
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1966?
The Horse (马, mǎ), a Fire Horse year (丙午). People born from 21 January 1966 to 8 February 1967 are a Horse; those born earlier in 1966 belong to the Year of the Snake.
When is the Mid-Autumn Festival in 1966?
29 September 1966, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month.
When is the Dragon Boat Festival in 1966?
23 June 1966, the 5th day of the 5th lunar month.
Tools
Sources
- Hong Kong Observatory, Gregorian-Lunar calendar conversion table · accessed 28 Oct 2026
- Wikipedia, Chinese calendar · accessed 28 Oct 2026
Update log. 28 October 2026 — published. Dates computed in Beijing time and spot-checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables. Suggest a correction
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