Chinese calendar
Chinese Calendar 2004
甲申年 Year of the Wood Monkey
Chinese New Year, every festival date, the lunar months and the 24 solar terms for 2004.
The answer
In the Chinese calendar, 2004 is the Year of the Monkey (Wood Monkey, 甲申). Chinese New Year falls on 22 January 2004 and the lunar year ends on 8 February 2005, with a leap 2nd month, so 384 days. Mid-Autumn is on 28 September 2004.
Chinese festivals in 2004
Western dates for 2004. Most festivals follow the lunar calendar; Qingming and the Winter Solstice follow the sun.
- Jan21Wed
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.
- Jan22Thu
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.
- Feb5Thu
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 · Leap 2nd month, day 15 · 清明
Families visit and tidy ancestors’ graves. Set by the sun, not the moon.
- Jun22Tue
Dragon Boat Festival端午节
5th month, day 5 · 五月初五
Dragon-boat races and zongzi, sticky rice wrapped in leaves.
- Aug22Sun
Qixi Festival七夕
7th month, day 7 · 七月初七
The cowherd and weaver-girl legend, often called Chinese Valentine’s Day.
- Aug30Mon
Ghost Festival中元节
7th month, day 15 · 七月十五
Offerings for ancestors and wandering spirits.
- Sept28Tue
Mid-Autumn Festival中秋节
8th month, day 15 · 八月十五
Mooncakes and family reunions under the full moon.
- Oct22Fri
Double Ninth Festival重阳节
9th month, day 9 · 九月初九
Climbing heights and honouring older people.
- Dec21Tue
Winter Solstice冬至
solar term · 11th month, day 10 · 冬至
Dumplings or tangyuan, depending on the region. Set by the sun.
Lunar months of the year 2004
Lunar year 2004 runs from 22 January 2004 to 8 February 2005: 13 months, including a leap 2nd month, 384 days.
| Month | Chinese | First day | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st month | 正月 | Thu 22 January 2004 | 29 |
| 2nd month | 二月 | Fri 20 February 2004 | 30 |
| Leap 2nd month | 闰二月 | Sun 21 March 2004 | 29 |
| 3rd month | 三月 | Mon 19 April 2004 | 30 |
| 4th month | 四月 | Wed 19 May 2004 | 30 |
| 5th month | 五月 | Fri 18 June 2004 | 29 |
| 6th month | 六月 | Sat 17 July 2004 | 30 |
| 7th month | 七月 | Mon 16 August 2004 | 29 |
| 8th month | 八月 | Tue 14 September 2004 | 30 |
| 9th month | 九月 | Thu 14 October 2004 | 29 |
| 10th month | 十月 | Fri 12 November 2004 | 30 |
| 11th month | 冬月 | Sun 12 December 2004 | 29 |
| 12th month | 腊月 | Mon 10 January 2005 | 30 |
The 24 solar terms in 2004
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 2004
- 大寒Major Cold21 Jan 2004
- 立春Start of Spring4 Feb 2004
- 雨水Rain Water19 Feb 2004
- 惊蛰Awakening of Insects5 Mar 2004
- 春分Spring Equinox20 Mar 2004
- 清明Pure Brightness (Qingming)4 Apr 2004
- 谷雨Grain Rain20 Apr 2004
- 立夏Start of Summer5 May 2004
- 小满Grain Buds21 May 2004
- 芒种Grain in Ear5 Jun 2004
- 夏至Summer Solstice21 Jun 2004
- 小暑Minor Heat7 Jul 2004
- 大暑Major Heat22 Jul 2004
- 立秋Start of Autumn7 Aug 2004
- 处暑End of Heat23 Aug 2004
- 白露White Dew7 Sept 2004
- 秋分Autumn Equinox23 Sept 2004
- 寒露Cold Dew8 Oct 2004
- 霜降Frost's Descent23 Oct 2004
- 立冬Start of Winter7 Nov 2004
- 小雪Minor Snow22 Nov 2004
- 大雪Major Snow7 Dec 2004
- 冬至Winter Solstice21 Dec 2004
Questions readers ask
When is Chinese New Year 2004?
22 January 2004 (a Thursday). It starts the Year of the Monkey; New Year’s Eve, the reunion dinner night, is 21 January 2004.
What Chinese zodiac animal is 2004?
The Monkey (猴, hóu), a Wood Monkey year (甲申). People born from 22 January 2004 to 8 February 2005 are a Monkey; those born earlier in 2004 belong to the Year of the Goat.
When is the Mid-Autumn Festival in 2004?
28 September 2004, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month.
When is the Dragon Boat Festival in 2004?
22 June 2004, 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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