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Chinese calendar

Chinese Calendar 1989

己巳年 Year of the Earth Snake

Chinese New Year, every festival date, the lunar months and the 24 solar terms for 1989.

Chinese New Year 1989
6
February · Mon
正月初一
1st month, day 1
Year of the Snake 己巳

The answer

In the Chinese calendar, 1989 is the Year of the Snake (Earth Snake, 己巳). Chinese New Year falls on 6 February 1989 and the lunar year ends on 26 January 1990, with no leap month, so 355 days. Mid-Autumn is on 14 September 1989.

Chinese festivals in 1989

Western dates for 1989. Most festivals follow the lunar calendar; Qingming and the Winter Solstice follow the sun.

  • Jan15Sun

    Laba Festival腊八节

    12th month, day 8 · 腊月初八

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

  • Feb5Sun

    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.

  • Feb6Mon

    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.

  • Feb20Mon

    Lantern Festival元宵节

    1st month, day 15 · 正月十五

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

  • Apr5Wed

    Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day)清明节

    solar term · 2nd month, day 29 · 清明

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

  • Jun8Thu

    Dragon Boat Festival端午节

    5th month, day 5 · 五月初五

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

  • Aug8Tue

    Qixi Festival七夕

    7th month, day 7 · 七月初七

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

  • Aug16Wed

    Ghost Festival中元节

    7th month, day 15 · 七月十五

    Offerings for ancestors and wandering spirits.

  • Sept14Thu

    Mid-Autumn Festival中秋节

    8th month, day 15 · 八月十五

    Mooncakes and family reunions under the full moon.

  • Oct8Sun

    Double Ninth Festival重阳节

    9th month, day 9 · 九月初九

    Climbing heights and honouring older people.

  • Dec22Fri

    Winter Solstice冬至

    solar term · 11th month, day 25 · 冬至

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

Lunar months of the year 1989

Lunar year 1989 runs from 6 February 1989 to 26 January 1990: 12 months, 355 days.

MonthChineseFirst dayDays
1st month正月Mon 6 February 198930
2nd month二月Wed 8 March 198929
3rd month三月Thu 6 April 198929
4th month四月Fri 5 May 198930
5th month五月Sun 4 June 198929
6th month六月Mon 3 July 198930
7th month七月Wed 2 August 198929
8th month八月Thu 31 August 198930
9th month九月Sat 30 September 198929
10th month十月Sun 29 October 198930
11th month冬月Tue 28 November 198930
12th month腊月Thu 28 December 198930

The 24 solar terms in 1989

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
    5 Jan 1989
  • 大寒
    Major Cold
    20 Jan 1989
  • 立春
    Start of Spring
    4 Feb 1989
  • 雨水
    Rain Water
    19 Feb 1989
  • 惊蛰
    Awakening of Insects
    5 Mar 1989
  • 春分
    Spring Equinox
    20 Mar 1989
  • 清明
    Pure Brightness (Qingming)
    5 Apr 1989
  • 谷雨
    Grain Rain
    20 Apr 1989
  • 立夏
    Start of Summer
    5 May 1989
  • 小满
    Grain Buds
    21 May 1989
  • 芒种
    Grain in Ear
    6 Jun 1989
  • 夏至
    Summer Solstice
    21 Jun 1989
  • 小暑
    Minor Heat
    7 Jul 1989
  • 大暑
    Major Heat
    23 Jul 1989
  • 立秋
    Start of Autumn
    7 Aug 1989
  • 处暑
    End of Heat
    23 Aug 1989
  • 白露
    White Dew
    7 Sept 1989
  • 秋分
    Autumn Equinox
    23 Sept 1989
  • 寒露
    Cold Dew
    8 Oct 1989
  • 霜降
    Frost's Descent
    23 Oct 1989
  • 立冬
    Start of Winter
    7 Nov 1989
  • 小雪
    Minor Snow
    22 Nov 1989
  • 大雪
    Major Snow
    7 Dec 1989
  • 冬至
    Winter Solstice
    22 Dec 1989

Questions readers ask

When is Chinese New Year 1989?

6 February 1989 (a Monday). It starts the Year of the Snake; New Year’s Eve, the reunion dinner night, is 5 February 1989.

What Chinese zodiac animal is 1989?

The Snake (蛇, shé), a Earth Snake year (己巳). People born from 6 February 1989 to 26 January 1990 are a Snake; those born earlier in 1989 belong to the Year of the Dragon.

When is the Mid-Autumn Festival in 1989?

14 September 1989, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month.

When is the Dragon Boat Festival in 1989?

8 June 1989, 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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