Chinese Calendar Database

36 entries. The twenty-four solar terms and the major festivals — the calendar that the other systems are built on, with each entry's astronomical basis and customary observance.

Every other system on this site quietly depends on this one. The twenty-four solar terms mark positions of the sun along the ecliptic, which is why they fall within a day or two of the same Gregorian dates each year. BaZi month boundaries follow these terms rather than the lunar month, and that single fact accounts for most of the cases where someone's calculated chart disagrees with the chart they were told.

The festivals run on the lunar calendar and therefore drift against the solar terms — sometimes by a few days, sometimes by a whole month, which is why intercalary months exist and why the same festival can occasionally appear twice in one lunar year. Each festival entry gives both the lunar date and the Gregorian equivalents for the coming years, so nothing has to be worked out by hand.

Reading the two sections together explains things that otherwise look arbitrary. Qingming is a solar term that became a festival, and it is the rare case where both traditions agree because it follows the sun. Chinese New Year is a lunar date that moves somewhere between late January and mid-February, and its distance from Lichun — the solar term that actually starts the astrological year — is the reason the new year and the new zodiac year are not always the same day.

These entries describe what is observed and when. They do not evaluate whether any of it works, and no date here carries an auspicious or inauspicious recommendation.

The solar terms follow the sun and the festivals follow the moon. Where the two disagree, each entry says so — that disagreement explains most of the confusion about date boundaries elsewhere on the site.

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Solar Terms

24 entries

Festivals

12 entries

Solar Terms · 24

Lichun 立春 — Start of SpringThe first of the twenty-four solar terms and the traditional beginning of the year in the calendrical sense.Yushui 雨水 — Rain WaterThe term at which precipitation replaces snow and the agricultural year begins in earnest.Jingzhe 惊蛰 — Awakening of InsectsThe term of first thunder, when hibernating animals are said to be roused.Chunfen 春分 — Spring EquinoxThe equinox — the day of equal light, and the midpoint of spring.Qingming 清明 — Clear and BrightThe only solar term that is also a major festival — the day of tomb sweeping.Guyu 谷雨 — Grain RainThe last spring term — rain that supports the grain, and the close of the sowing window.Lixia 立夏 — Start of SummerThe first summer term — the point at which the season is declared to have turned.Xiaoman 小满 — Grain FullThe term of filling — the grain is formed but not yet ripe.Mangzhong 芒种 — Grain in EarThe term of the busiest sowing — the point at which both harvest and planting are due.Xiazhi 夏至 — Summer SolsticeThe longest day — the sun's northernmost point and the peak of yang.Xiaoshu 小暑 — Minor HeatThe onset of the hot season — heat that is present but not yet at its peak.Dashu 大暑 — Major HeatThe hottest term of the year, and the last of summer.Liqiu 立秋 — Start of AutumnThe opening term of autumn — declared at the beginning of August regardless of the weather.Chushu 处暑 — End of HeatThe term at which the heat is said to stop — the retreat of summer's peak.Bailu 白露 — White DewThe term of first dew — the visible sign that the air has turned.Qiufen 秋分 — Autumn EquinoxThe second equinox — equal light again, and the midpoint of autumn.Hanlu 寒露 — Cold DewThe term at which the dew turns cold — the step beyond White Dew.Shuangjiang 霜降 — Descent of FrostThe last autumn term — first frost, and the close of the growing season.Lidong 立冬 — Start of WinterThe opening term of winter — the season of storage and of what is held.Xiaoxue 小雪 — Minor SnowThe first snow term — light snow, and the beginning of the cold proper.Daxue 大雪 — Major SnowThe heavier snow term — the middle of winter in the calendar.Dongzhi 冬至 — Winter SolsticeThe shortest day — the sun's southernmost point, and traditionally the most important of the twenty-four.Xiaohan 小寒 — Minor ColdThe first of the two cold terms — the onset of the coldest part of the year.Dahan 大寒 — Major ColdThe last of the twenty-four — the closing term of the year.

Festivals · 12

Spring Festival 春节The lunar new year — the largest festival, and the one whose date moves against the solar calendar.New Year's Eve 除夕The last evening of the lunar year — the reunion meal and the turning of the year.Lantern Festival 元宵The fifteenth day — the close of the new year period, and the festival of lights.Longtaitou 龙抬头 — Dragon Raises Its HeadThe second day of the second lunar month — the dragon's head, and the start of the ploughing year.Hanshi 寒食 — Cold FoodThe day of cold food — observed without fire, immediately before Qingming.Dragon Boat Festival 端午The fifth day of the fifth lunar month — racing, and the summer's apotropaic observances.Qixi 七夕 — Double SeventhThe seventh day of the seventh lunar month — the festival of the weaving maiden and the herd boy.Zhongyuan 中元 — Mid-YearThe fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month — the observance for the unattended dead.Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋The fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month — the moon at its fullest, and the festival of reunion.Chongyang 重阳 — Double NinthThe ninth day of the ninth lunar month — the festival of high places and of the elderly.Laba 腊八The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month — the porridge that opens the new year preparations.Xiaonian 小年 — Little New YearThe twenty-third or twenty-fourth of the twelfth lunar month — the send-off of the kitchen god.