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Chinese calendar

Chinese Calendar 1976

丙辰年 Year of the Fire Dragon

Chinese New Year, every festival date, the lunar months and the 24 solar terms for 1976.

Chinese New Year 1976
31
January · Sat
正月初一
1st month, day 1
Year of the Dragon 丙辰

The answer

In the Chinese calendar, 1976 is the Year of the Dragon (Fire Dragon, 丙辰). Chinese New Year falls on 31 January 1976 and the lunar year ends on 17 February 1977, with a leap 8th month, so 384 days. Mid-Autumn is on 8 September 1976.

Chinese festivals in 1976

Western dates for 1976. Most festivals follow the lunar calendar; Qingming and the Winter Solstice follow the sun.

  • Jan8Thu

    Laba Festival腊八节

    12th month, day 8 · 腊月初八

    Laba congee; the start of the run-up to New Year.

  • Jan30Fri

    Chinese New Year’s Eve除夕

    12th month, day 30 · 腊月三十

    Last day of the lunar year: reunion dinner and the CMG Spring Festival Gala.

  • Jan31Sat

    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.

  • Feb14Sat

    Lantern Festival元宵节

    1st month, day 15 · 正月十五

    Lanterns, riddles and tangyuan; it closes the New Year season.

  • Apr4Sun

    Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day)清明节

    solar term · 3rd month, day 5 · 清明

    Families visit and tidy ancestors’ graves. Set by the sun, not the moon.

  • Jun2Wed

    Dragon Boat Festival端午节

    5th month, day 5 · 五月初五

    Dragon-boat races and zongzi, sticky rice wrapped in leaves.

  • Aug2Mon

    Qixi Festival七夕

    7th month, day 7 · 七月初七

    The cowherd and weaver-girl legend, often called Chinese Valentine’s Day.

  • Aug10Tue

    Ghost Festival中元节

    7th month, day 15 · 七月十五

    Offerings for ancestors and wandering spirits.

  • Sept8Wed

    Mid-Autumn Festival中秋节

    8th month, day 15 · 八月十五

    Mooncakes and family reunions under the full moon.

  • Oct31Sun

    Double Ninth Festival重阳节

    9th month, day 9 · 九月初九

    Climbing heights and honouring older people.

  • Dec22Wed

    Winter Solstice冬至

    solar term · 11th month, day 2 · 冬至

    Dumplings or tangyuan, depending on the region. Set by the sun.

Lunar months of the year 1976

Lunar year 1976 runs from 31 January 1976 to 17 February 1977: 13 months, including a leap 8th month, 384 days.

MonthChineseFirst dayDays
1st month正月Sat 31 January 197630
2nd month二月Mon 1 March 197630
3rd month三月Wed 31 March 197629
4th month四月Thu 29 April 197630
5th month五月Sat 29 May 197629
6th month六月Sun 27 June 197630
7th month七月Tue 27 July 197629
8th month八月Wed 25 August 197630
Leap 8th month闰八月Fri 24 September 197629
9th month九月Sat 23 October 197629
10th month十月Sun 21 November 197630
11th month冬月Tue 21 December 197629
12th month腊月Wed 19 January 197730

The 24 solar terms in 1976

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 Cold
    6 Jan 1976
  • 大寒
    Major Cold
    21 Jan 1976
  • 立春
    Start of Spring
    5 Feb 1976
  • 雨水
    Rain Water
    19 Feb 1976
  • 惊蛰
    Awakening of Insects
    5 Mar 1976
  • 春分
    Spring Equinox
    20 Mar 1976
  • 清明
    Pure Brightness (Qingming)
    4 Apr 1976
  • 谷雨
    Grain Rain
    20 Apr 1976
  • 立夏
    Start of Summer
    5 May 1976
  • 小满
    Grain Buds
    21 May 1976
  • 芒种
    Grain in Ear
    5 Jun 1976
  • 夏至
    Summer Solstice
    21 Jun 1976
  • 小暑
    Minor Heat
    7 Jul 1976
  • 大暑
    Major Heat
    23 Jul 1976
  • 立秋
    Start of Autumn
    7 Aug 1976
  • 处暑
    End of Heat
    23 Aug 1976
  • 白露
    White Dew
    7 Sept 1976
  • 秋分
    Autumn Equinox
    23 Sept 1976
  • 寒露
    Cold Dew
    8 Oct 1976
  • 霜降
    Frost's Descent
    23 Oct 1976
  • 立冬
    Start of Winter
    7 Nov 1976
  • 小雪
    Minor Snow
    22 Nov 1976
  • 大雪
    Major Snow
    7 Dec 1976
  • 冬至
    Winter Solstice
    22 Dec 1976

Questions readers ask

When is Chinese New Year 1976?

31 January 1976 (a Saturday). It starts the Year of the Dragon; New Year’s Eve, the reunion dinner night, is 30 January 1976.

What Chinese zodiac animal is 1976?

The Dragon (龙, lóng), a Fire Dragon year (丙辰). People born from 31 January 1976 to 17 February 1977 are a Dragon; those born earlier in 1976 belong to the Year of the Rabbit.

When is the Mid-Autumn Festival in 1976?

8 September 1976, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month.

When is the Dragon Boat Festival in 1976?

2 June 1976, the 5th day of the 5th lunar month.

Tools

Sources

  1. Hong Kong Observatory, Gregorian-Lunar calendar conversion table · accessed 28 Oct 2026
  2. 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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