Chinese calendar
Chinese Calendar 2026
丙午年 Year of the Fire Horse
Chinese New Year, every festival date, the lunar months and the 24 solar terms for 2026.
The answer
In the Chinese calendar, 2026 is the Year of the Horse (Fire Horse, 丙午). Chinese New Year falls on 17 February 2026 and the lunar year ends on 5 February 2027, with no leap month, so 354 days. Mid-Autumn is on 25 September 2026.
Chinese festivals in 2026
Western dates for 2026. Most festivals follow the lunar calendar; Qingming and the Winter Solstice follow the sun.
- Jan26Mon
Laba Festival腊八节
12th month, day 8 · 腊月初八
Laba congee; the start of the run-up to New Year.
- Feb16Mon
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.
- Feb17Tue
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.
- Mar3Tue
Lantern Festival元宵节
1st month, day 15 · 正月十五
Lanterns, riddles and tangyuan; it closes the New Year season.
- Apr5Sun
Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day)清明节
solar term · 2nd month, day 18 · 清明
Families visit and tidy ancestors’ graves. Set by the sun, not the moon.
- Jun19Fri
Dragon Boat Festival端午节
5th month, day 5 · 五月初五
Dragon-boat races and zongzi, sticky rice wrapped in leaves.
- Aug19Wed
Qixi Festival七夕
7th month, day 7 · 七月初七
The cowherd and weaver-girl legend, often called Chinese Valentine’s Day.
- Aug27Thu
Ghost Festival中元节
7th month, day 15 · 七月十五
Offerings for ancestors and wandering spirits.
- Sept25Fri
Mid-Autumn Festival中秋节
8th month, day 15 · 八月十五
Mooncakes and family reunions under the full moon.
- Oct18Sun
Double Ninth Festival重阳节
9th month, day 9 · 九月初九
Climbing heights and honouring older people.
- Dec22Tue
Winter Solstice冬至
solar term · 11th month, day 14 · 冬至
Dumplings or tangyuan, depending on the region. Set by the sun.
Lunar months of the year 2026
Lunar year 2026 runs from 17 February 2026 to 5 February 2027: 12 months, 354 days.
| Month | Chinese | First day | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st month | 正月 | Tue 17 February 2026 | 30 |
| 2nd month | 二月 | Thu 19 March 2026 | 29 |
| 3rd month | 三月 | Fri 17 April 2026 | 30 |
| 4th month | 四月 | Sun 17 May 2026 | 29 |
| 5th month | 五月 | Mon 15 June 2026 | 29 |
| 6th month | 六月 | Tue 14 July 2026 | 30 |
| 7th month | 七月 | Thu 13 August 2026 | 29 |
| 8th month | 八月 | Fri 11 September 2026 | 29 |
| 9th month | 九月 | Sat 10 October 2026 | 30 |
| 10th month | 十月 | Mon 9 November 2026 | 30 |
| 11th month | 冬月 | Wed 9 December 2026 | 30 |
| 12th month | 腊月 | Fri 8 January 2027 | 29 |
The 24 solar terms in 2026
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 Cold5 Jan 2026
- 大寒Major Cold20 Jan 2026
- 立春Start of Spring4 Feb 2026
- 雨水Rain Water18 Feb 2026
- 惊蛰Awakening of Insects5 Mar 2026
- 春分Spring Equinox20 Mar 2026
- 清明Pure Brightness (Qingming)5 Apr 2026
- 谷雨Grain Rain20 Apr 2026
- 立夏Start of Summer5 May 2026
- 小满Grain Buds21 May 2026
- 芒种Grain in Ear5 Jun 2026
- 夏至Summer Solstice21 Jun 2026
- 小暑Minor Heat7 Jul 2026
- 大暑Major Heat23 Jul 2026
- 立秋Start of Autumn7 Aug 2026
- 处暑End of Heat23 Aug 2026
- 白露White Dew7 Sept 2026
- 秋分Autumn Equinox23 Sept 2026
- 寒露Cold Dew8 Oct 2026
- 霜降Frost's Descent23 Oct 2026
- 立冬Start of Winter7 Nov 2026
- 小雪Minor Snow22 Nov 2026
- 大雪Major Snow7 Dec 2026
- 冬至Winter Solstice22 Dec 2026
Questions readers ask
When is Chinese New Year 2026?
17 February 2026 (a Tuesday). It starts the Year of the Horse; New Year’s Eve, the reunion dinner night, is 16 February 2026.
What Chinese zodiac animal is 2026?
The Horse (马, mǎ), a Fire Horse year (丙午). People born from 17 February 2026 to 5 February 2027 are a Horse; those born earlier in 2026 belong to the Year of the Snake.
When is the Mid-Autumn Festival in 2026?
25 September 2026, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month.
When is the Dragon Boat Festival in 2026?
19 June 2026, 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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