Chinese calendar
Chinese Calendar 1996
丙子年 Year of the Fire Rat
Chinese New Year, every festival date, the lunar months and the 24 solar terms for 1996.
The answer
In the Chinese calendar, 1996 is the Year of the Rat (Fire Rat, 丙子). Chinese New Year falls on 19 February 1996 and the lunar year ends on 6 February 1997, with no leap month, so 354 days. Mid-Autumn is on 27 September 1996.
Chinese festivals in 1996
Western dates for 1996. Most festivals follow the lunar calendar; Qingming and the Winter Solstice follow the sun.
- Jan27Sat
Laba Festival腊八节
12th month, day 8 · 腊月初八
Laba congee; the start of the run-up to New Year.
- Feb18Sun
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.
- Feb19Mon
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.
- Mar4Mon
Lantern Festival元宵节
1st month, day 15 · 正月十五
Lanterns, riddles and tangyuan; it closes the New Year season.
- Apr4Thu
Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day)清明节
solar term · 2nd month, day 17 · 清明
Families visit and tidy ancestors’ graves. Set by the sun, not the moon.
- Jun20Thu
Dragon Boat Festival端午节
5th month, day 5 · 五月初五
Dragon-boat races and zongzi, sticky rice wrapped in leaves.
- Aug20Tue
Qixi Festival七夕
7th month, day 7 · 七月初七
The cowherd and weaver-girl legend, often called Chinese Valentine’s Day.
- Aug28Wed
Ghost Festival中元节
7th month, day 15 · 七月十五
Offerings for ancestors and wandering spirits.
- Sept27Fri
Mid-Autumn Festival中秋节
8th month, day 15 · 八月十五
Mooncakes and family reunions under the full moon.
- Oct20Sun
Double Ninth Festival重阳节
9th month, day 9 · 九月初九
Climbing heights and honouring older people.
- Dec21Sat
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 1996
Lunar year 1996 runs from 19 February 1996 to 6 February 1997: 12 months, 354 days.
| Month | Chinese | First day | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st month | 正月 | Mon 19 February 1996 | 29 |
| 2nd month | 二月 | Tue 19 March 1996 | 30 |
| 3rd month | 三月 | Thu 18 April 1996 | 29 |
| 4th month | 四月 | Fri 17 May 1996 | 30 |
| 5th month | 五月 | Sun 16 June 1996 | 30 |
| 6th month | 六月 | Tue 16 July 1996 | 29 |
| 7th month | 七月 | Wed 14 August 1996 | 30 |
| 8th month | 八月 | Fri 13 September 1996 | 29 |
| 9th month | 九月 | Sat 12 October 1996 | 30 |
| 10th month | 十月 | Mon 11 November 1996 | 30 |
| 11th month | 冬月 | Wed 11 December 1996 | 29 |
| 12th month | 腊月 | Thu 9 January 1997 | 29 |
The 24 solar terms in 1996
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 1996
- 大寒Major Cold21 Jan 1996
- 立春Start of Spring4 Feb 1996
- 雨水Rain Water19 Feb 1996
- 惊蛰Awakening of Insects5 Mar 1996
- 春分Spring Equinox20 Mar 1996
- 清明Pure Brightness (Qingming)4 Apr 1996
- 谷雨Grain Rain20 Apr 1996
- 立夏Start of Summer5 May 1996
- 小满Grain Buds21 May 1996
- 芒种Grain in Ear5 Jun 1996
- 夏至Summer Solstice21 Jun 1996
- 小暑Minor Heat7 Jul 1996
- 大暑Major Heat22 Jul 1996
- 立秋Start of Autumn7 Aug 1996
- 处暑End of Heat23 Aug 1996
- 白露White Dew7 Sept 1996
- 秋分Autumn Equinox23 Sept 1996
- 寒露Cold Dew8 Oct 1996
- 霜降Frost's Descent23 Oct 1996
- 立冬Start of Winter7 Nov 1996
- 小雪Minor Snow22 Nov 1996
- 大雪Major Snow7 Dec 1996
- 冬至Winter Solstice21 Dec 1996
Questions readers ask
When is Chinese New Year 1996?
19 February 1996 (a Monday). It starts the Year of the Rat; New Year’s Eve, the reunion dinner night, is 18 February 1996.
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1996?
The Rat (鼠, shǔ), a Fire Rat year (丙子). People born from 19 February 1996 to 6 February 1997 are a Rat; those born earlier in 1996 belong to the Year of the Pig.
When is the Mid-Autumn Festival in 1996?
27 September 1996, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month.
When is the Dragon Boat Festival in 1996?
20 June 1996, 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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