Chinese calendar
Chinese Calendar 1980
庚申年 Year of the Metal Monkey
Chinese New Year, every festival date, the lunar months and the 24 solar terms for 1980.
The answer
In the Chinese calendar, 1980 is the Year of the Monkey (Metal Monkey, 庚申). Chinese New Year falls on 16 February 1980 and the lunar year ends on 4 February 1981, with no leap month, so 355 days. Mid-Autumn is on 23 September 1980.
Chinese festivals in 1980
Western dates for 1980. Most festivals follow the lunar calendar; Qingming and the Winter Solstice follow the sun.
- Jan25Fri
Laba Festival腊八节
12th month, day 8 · 腊月初八
Laba congee; the start of the run-up to New Year.
- Feb15Fri
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.
- Feb16Sat
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.
- Mar1Sat
Lantern Festival元宵节
1st month, day 15 · 正月十五
Lanterns, riddles and tangyuan; it closes the New Year season.
- Apr4Fri
Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day)清明节
solar term · 2nd month, day 19 · 清明
Families visit and tidy ancestors’ graves. Set by the sun, not the moon.
- Jun17Tue
Dragon Boat Festival端午节
5th month, day 5 · 五月初五
Dragon-boat races and zongzi, sticky rice wrapped in leaves.
- Aug17Sun
Qixi Festival七夕
7th month, day 7 · 七月初七
The cowherd and weaver-girl legend, often called Chinese Valentine’s Day.
- Aug25Mon
Ghost Festival中元节
7th month, day 15 · 七月十五
Offerings for ancestors and wandering spirits.
- Sept23Tue
Mid-Autumn Festival中秋节
8th month, day 15 · 八月十五
Mooncakes and family reunions under the full moon.
- Oct17Fri
Double Ninth Festival重阳节
9th month, day 9 · 九月初九
Climbing heights and honouring older people.
- Dec22Mon
Winter Solstice冬至
solar term · 11th month, day 16 · 冬至
Dumplings or tangyuan, depending on the region. Set by the sun.
Lunar months of the year 1980
Lunar year 1980 runs from 16 February 1980 to 4 February 1981: 12 months, 355 days.
| Month | Chinese | First day | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st month | 正月 | Sat 16 February 1980 | 30 |
| 2nd month | 二月 | Mon 17 March 1980 | 29 |
| 3rd month | 三月 | Tue 15 April 1980 | 29 |
| 4th month | 四月 | Wed 14 May 1980 | 30 |
| 5th month | 五月 | Fri 13 June 1980 | 29 |
| 6th month | 六月 | Sat 12 July 1980 | 30 |
| 7th month | 七月 | Mon 11 August 1980 | 29 |
| 8th month | 八月 | Tue 9 September 1980 | 30 |
| 9th month | 九月 | Thu 9 October 1980 | 30 |
| 10th month | 十月 | Sat 8 November 1980 | 29 |
| 11th month | 冬月 | Sun 7 December 1980 | 30 |
| 12th month | 腊月 | Tue 6 January 1981 | 30 |
The 24 solar terms in 1980
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 1980
- 大寒Major Cold21 Jan 1980
- 立春Start of Spring5 Feb 1980
- 雨水Rain Water19 Feb 1980
- 惊蛰Awakening of Insects5 Mar 1980
- 春分Spring Equinox20 Mar 1980
- 清明Pure Brightness (Qingming)4 Apr 1980
- 谷雨Grain Rain20 Apr 1980
- 立夏Start of Summer5 May 1980
- 小满Grain Buds21 May 1980
- 芒种Grain in Ear5 Jun 1980
- 夏至Summer Solstice21 Jun 1980
- 小暑Minor Heat7 Jul 1980
- 大暑Major Heat23 Jul 1980
- 立秋Start of Autumn7 Aug 1980
- 处暑End of Heat23 Aug 1980
- 白露White Dew7 Sept 1980
- 秋分Autumn Equinox23 Sept 1980
- 寒露Cold Dew8 Oct 1980
- 霜降Frost's Descent23 Oct 1980
- 立冬Start of Winter7 Nov 1980
- 小雪Minor Snow22 Nov 1980
- 大雪Major Snow7 Dec 1980
- 冬至Winter Solstice22 Dec 1980
Questions readers ask
When is Chinese New Year 1980?
16 February 1980 (a Saturday). It starts the Year of the Monkey; New Year’s Eve, the reunion dinner night, is 15 February 1980.
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1980?
The Monkey (猴, hóu), a Metal Monkey year (庚申). People born from 16 February 1980 to 4 February 1981 are a Monkey; those born earlier in 1980 belong to the Year of the Goat.
When is the Mid-Autumn Festival in 1980?
23 September 1980, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month.
When is the Dragon Boat Festival in 1980?
17 June 1980, 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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