FortudayChinese Calendar 2026
Lunar dates, festivals and solar terms for 2026, the Year of the Fire Horse.
- Chinese New Year 2026 falls on Tue, February 17, 2026, starting the Year of the Fire Horse.
- The Fire Horse year runs 354 days, until February 5, 2027.
- 2026 has no leap month.
- 12 lunar months begin in 2026; 6 of them are 30 days long.
Browse the lunar months, festivals, solar terms and month pillars for the Chinese calendar of 2026 in the tables below. Each lunar month shows its start date and length, and the festival and solar term tables give the matching lunar date, so you can line up the two calendars.
Lunar months starting in 2026
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 12th monthWood Snake year | Jan 19Mon | 29 daysshort month |
| 1st monthFire Horse year | Feb 17Tue | 30 dayslong month |
| 2nd monthFire Horse year | Mar 19Thu | 29 daysshort month |
| 3rd monthFire Horse year | Apr 17Fri | 30 dayslong month |
| 4th monthFire Horse year | May 17Sun | 29 daysshort month |
| 5th monthFire Horse year | Jun 15Mon | 29 daysshort month |
| 6th monthFire Horse year | Jul 14Tue | 30 dayslong month |
| 7th monthFire Horse year | Aug 13Thu | 29 daysshort month |
| 8th monthFire Horse year | Sep 11Fri | 29 daysshort month |
| 9th monthFire Horse year | Oct 10Sat | 30 dayslong month |
| 10th monthFire Horse year | Nov 9Mon | 30 dayslong month |
| 11th monthFire Horse year | Dec 9Wed | 30 dayslong month |
2026 festivals
| Festival | Date | Lunar date |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese New Year's Eve | Feb 16Mon | 12th month, day 29 |
| Chinese New Year | Feb 17Tue | 1st month, day 1 |
| Lantern Festival | Mar 3Tue | 1st month, day 15 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 19Fri | 5th month, day 5 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 19Wed | 7th month, day 7 |
| Ghost Festival | Aug 27Thu | 7th month, day 15 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 25Fri | 8th month, day 15 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 18Sun | 9th month, day 9 |
2026 solar terms
| Solar term | Date | Lunar date |
|---|---|---|
| Minor Cold | Jan 5Mon | 11th month, day 17 |
| Major Cold | Jan 20Tue | 12th month, day 2 |
| Start of Spring | Feb 4Wed | 12th month, day 17 |
| Rain Water | Feb 18Wed | 1st month, day 2 |
| Awakening of Insects | Mar 5Thu | 1st month, day 17 |
| Spring Equinox | Mar 20Fri | 2nd month, day 2 |
| Qingming (Clear and Bright) | Apr 5Sun | 2nd month, day 18 |
| Grain Rain | Apr 20Mon | 3rd month, day 4 |
| Start of Summer | May 5Tue | 3rd month, day 19 |
| Grain Buds | May 21Thu | 4th month, day 5 |
| Grain in Ear | Jun 5Fri | 4th month, day 20 |
| Summer Solstice | Jun 21Sun | 5th month, day 7 |
| Minor Heat | Jul 7Tue | 5th month, day 23 |
| Major Heat | Jul 23Thu | 6th month, day 10 |
| Start of Autumn | Aug 7Fri | 6th month, day 25 |
| End of Heat | Aug 23Sun | 7th month, day 11 |
| White Dew | Sep 7Mon | 7th month, day 26 |
| Autumn Equinox | Sep 23Wed | 8th month, day 13 |
| Cold Dew | Oct 8Thu | 8th month, day 28 |
| Frost Descent | Oct 23Fri | 9th month, day 14 |
| Start of Winter | Nov 7Sat | 9th month, day 29 |
| Minor Snow | Nov 22Sun | 10th month, day 14 |
| Major Snow | Dec 7Mon | 10th month, day 29 |
| Winter Solstice | Dec 22Tue | 11th month, day 14 |
Month pillars in 2026
In the Four Pillars system a month changes at each of the twelve major solar terms, not at the new moon. The pillar is the month’s stem-and-branch name.
| Month starts at | Date | Month pillar |
|---|---|---|
| Minor Cold | Jan 5Mon | Earth Ox己丑 |
| Start of Spring | Feb 4Wed | Metal Tiger庚寅 |
| Awakening of Insects | Mar 5Thu | Metal Rabbit辛卯 |
| Qingming (Clear and Bright) | Apr 5Sun | Water Dragon壬辰 |
| Start of Summer | May 5Tue | Water Snake癸巳 |
| Grain in Ear | Jun 5Fri | Wood Horse甲午 |
| Minor Heat | Jul 7Tue | Wood Goat乙未 |
| Start of Autumn | Aug 7Fri | Fire Monkey丙申 |
| White Dew | Sep 7Mon | Fire Rooster丁酉 |
| Cold Dew | Oct 8Thu | Earth Dog戊戌 |
| Start of Winter | Nov 7Sat | Earth Pig己亥 |
| Major Snow | Dec 7Mon | Metal Rat庚子 |
2026 Gregorian and lunar dates
Small number = lunar dayM = first day of a lunar monthRed = festival or solar term
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Questions
When is Chinese New Year 2026?
Tue, February 17, 2026. The next one is February 6, 2027.
What Chinese year is 2026?
2026 is mostly the Year of the Fire Horse (丙午). The Chinese year starts at Chinese New Year, February 17, 2026.
What Chinese zodiac year is 2026?
2026 is mostly the Year of the Fire Horse (丙午). People born from Feb 17, 2026 belong to the Horse; earlier in January and February counts as the year before.
Is there a leap month in 2026?
2026 has no leap month.
Which time zone are these dates in?
China Standard Time (UTC+8), the time zone the Chinese calendar is calculated in. A new moon close to midnight can shift a lunar month by a day elsewhere.
When does the Year of the Horse end?
The Fire Horse year ends on February 5, 2027. It runs 354 days from Chinese New Year on Feb 17 (Tue). The Chinese year is shorter than the Gregorian one because it follows the Moon.
Why does Chinese New Year fall on a different date every year?
Chinese New Year is set by the lunar calendar, which follows the Moon's phases, so it does not stay on one Gregorian date. In 2026 it falls on the first day of the 1st lunar month, Feb 17 (Tue). The lunar months in the table start between Jan 19 (Mon) and Dec 9 (Wed).
What are the 24 solar terms?
They are 24 points in the solar year, each with its own name, such as Start of Spring on Feb 4 (Wed) and Winter Solstice on Dec 22 (Tue). The table lists all 24 for 2026 with their lunar dates. They are tied to the Sun, not the Moon, so they land on nearly the same Gregorian dates each year.
When are the Chinese festivals in 2026?
There are 8 festivals listed, from Chinese New Year's Eve on Feb 16 (Mon) to the Double Ninth Festival on Oct 18 (Sun). Lantern Festival is Mar 3 (Tue), Dragon Boat Festival is Jun 19 (Fri), and Mid-Autumn Festival is Sep 25 (Fri). Each one sits on a fixed lunar date, such as the 5th month, day 5 for Dragon Boat.
How do I convert a Gregorian date to a lunar date?
Find the lunar month that started on or before your date, then count the days from its start. For example, the 1st month of the Fire Horse year starts Feb 17 (Tue), and Rain Water on Feb 18 (Wed) is its day 2. The solar term and festival tables also show the lunar date beside many Gregorian dates.
What is a month pillar?
A month pillar is the stem-and-branch name of a month in the Four Pillars system. That system changes month at each of the twelve major solar terms, not at the new Moon. In 2026 the first pillar, Earth Ox, begins at Minor Cold on Jan 5 (Mon), and the last, Metal Rat, begins at Major Snow on Dec 7 (Mon).