Festival date rules at a glance
Annual dates and their calendar rules
The Chinese calendar is lunisolar: its lunar months coexist with a solar framework that keeps the year connected to the seasons. Festival rules use different parts of that system. Chinese New Year follows a lunar month and day, Qingming follows a solar term, and She days combine a solar term with the daily stem cycle.
The table gives the regular-month observances occurring within Gregorian 2026. These are festival dates rather than public-holiday periods.
| Festival or observance | Calendar rule | Gregorian date in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Laba | Lunar month 12, day 8, in the closing Chinese year | January 26 |
| Chinese New Year | Lunar month 1, day 1 | February 17 |
| Lantern Festival | Lunar month 1, day 15 | March 3 |
| Longtaitou | Lunar month 2, day 2 | March 20 |
| Qingming | Qingming solar term, solar longitude 15° | April 5 |
| Shangsi and third-month-third observances | Lunar month 3, day 3 in the fixed-date tradition | April 19 |
| Dragon Boat Festival, Duanwu | Lunar month 5, day 5 | June 19 |
| Qixi | Lunar month 7, day 7 | August 19 |
| Zhongyuan | Lunar month 7, day 15; surrounding observances can span the month | August 27 |
| Mid-Autumn | Lunar month 8, day 15 | September 25 |
| Double Ninth | Lunar month 9, day 9 | October 18 |
| Hanyi | Lunar month 10, day 1 | November 9 |
| Winter Solstice Festival | Dongzhi solar term, solar longitude 270° | December 22 |
Cold Food and the She observances require a different kind of rule:
| Observance | Dating method | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Cold Food, Hanshi | Associated with the days before Qingming, often placed on the preceding day | Historical timing and duration vary |
| Spring She | Fifth Wu day on or after Beginning of Spring’s calendar date in the Atlas convention | Wu is the fifth heavenly stem and repeats every ten days |
| Autumn She | Fifth Wu day on or after Beginning of Autumn’s calendar date in the Atlas convention | A Wu day containing the solar term is included in the count |
For either She calculation, identify the first qualifying Wu day and add forty days to reach the fifth. Local ritual calendars may use a different arrangement.
New Year’s Eve is the final day before lunar month 1 begins. It need not be lunar day 30: in 2026 it is February 16, lunar month 12, day 29. The Laba observance on January 26 likewise belongs to the Chinese year already in progress before the February New Year, despite the Gregorian year having changed.
Leap months
A leap month repeats a month number, so the number alone does not uniquely identify a lunar date. In 2025, regular month 6 began on June 25, and leap month 6 began on July 25. A complete lunar date needs the Chinese year, month number, regular-or-leap designation and day.
For this festival reference, the fixed lunar-date rows designate the regular month. The repetition of a numbered day does not automatically create a second festival entry. Household anniversaries and temple ceremonies may have their own rules for repeated months. Recording that convention alongside the date keeps the calendar calculation separate from the choice of observance.
Observances and event dates
A festival date identifies the traditional observance. A public holiday identifies a day off designated by a particular jurisdiction. A fair, parade or performance has an organiser’s schedule, which may cover several days or fall on a convenient weekend.
For a dated entry, record the observance rule, its Gregorian date for the chosen year and any local event period separately. A clock time for a solar term also needs its time zone, since the same instant can fall on different calendar dates in different places.