Chinese lunar calendar · year archive
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2026 is the year of the Fire Horse in the Chinese calendar, from 17 February 2026 to 5 February 2027: 354 days, 12 lunar months. Born before 17 February 2026? That is still the Wood Snake year.
Chinese gender calendar 2026: the baby chart by lunar age →
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354 days · Year of the Fire Horse
Sexagenary year
Fire reinforces Fire: the year stem is Fire, while theHorse's fixed phase is Fire.
Length
354 days
Across 12 lunar months.
Leap month
None
The year runs its ordinary twelve months.
Beginning of Spring
Once
立春 falls once, as it usually does.
Year name explained
Why Fire Horse
Fire is both the year element and the Horse’s fixed element, so this pairing reinforces Fire.
The animal repeats every 12 years, while the stem-and-branch pairing repeats every 60. The element in “Fire Horse” comes from the year's heavenly stem; it is distinct from the animal's conventional fixed phase. Read the calendar glossary.
The 12 lunar months of 2026
A lunar month begins on the day of the new moon, so its Gregorian start date moves every year. These are the exact correspondences for 2026.
| Lunar month | Begins | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 17 February 2026 | 30 |
| Month 2 | 19 March 2026 | 29 |
| Month 3 | 17 April 2026 | 30 |
| Month 4 | 17 May 2026 | 29 |
| Month 5 | 15 June 2026 | 29 |
| Month 6 | 14 July 2026 | 30 |
| Month 7 | 13 August 2026 | 29 |
| Month 8 | 11 September 2026 | 29 |
| Month 9 | 10 October 2026 | 30 |
| Month 10 | 9 November 2026 | 30 |
| Month 11 | 9 December 2026 | 30 |
| Month 12 | 8 January 2027 | 29 |
The solar year within it
24 solar terms
Solar terms track the sun rather than the moon, so they sit at almost the same Gregorian date every year while the lunar months move by weeks. A twelve-month year is about eleven days shorter than the solar year and so holds fewer of them than a thirteen-month one.
- Rain Water雨水18 February 2026 · 23:51:56 UTC+8
- Awakening of Insects惊蛰5 March 2026 · 21:59:00 UTC+8
- Spring Equinox春分20 March 2026 · 22:45:59 UTC+8
- Pure Brightness清明5 April 2026 · 02:40:00 UTC+8
- Grain Rain谷雨20 April 2026 · 09:39:08 UTC+8
- Beginning of Summer立夏5 May 2026 · 19:48:44 UTC+8
- Grain Buds小满21 May 2026 · 08:36:45 UTC+8
- Grain in Ear芒种5 June 2026 · 23:48:21 UTC+8
- Summer Solstice夏至21 June 2026 · 16:24:30 UTC+8
- Minor Heat小暑7 July 2026 · 09:56:57 UTC+8
- Major Heat大暑23 July 2026 · 03:13:05 UTC+8
- Beginning of Autumn立秋7 August 2026 · 19:42:43 UTC+8
- End of Heat处暑23 August 2026 · 10:18:49 UTC+8
- White Dew白露7 September 2026 · 22:41:16 UTC+8
- Autumn Equinox秋分23 September 2026 · 08:05:14 UTC+8
- Cold Dew寒露8 October 2026 · 14:29:17 UTC+8
- Frost's Descent霜降23 October 2026 · 17:37:57 UTC+8
- Beginning of Winter立冬7 November 2026 · 17:52:05 UTC+8
- Minor Snow小雪22 November 2026 · 15:23:21 UTC+8
- Major Snow大雪7 December 2026 · 10:52:32 UTC+8
- Winter Solstice冬至22 December 2026 · 04:50:14 UTC+8
- Minor Cold小寒5 January 2027 · 22:09:58 UTC+8
- Major Cold大寒20 January 2027 · 15:29:50 UTC+8
- Beginning of Spring立春4 February 2027 · 09:46:18 UTC+8
Moving Gregorian dates
Festivals in the 2026 lunar year
Most follow numbered lunar dates; Qingming and Winter Solstice follow exact solar-term instants. Open a festival to see its rule.
- 17 February 2026lunar 1/1
- 3 March 2026lunar 1/15
- 19 June 2026lunar 5/5
- 19 August 2026lunar 7/7
- 27 August 2026lunar 7/15
- 25 September 2026lunar 8/15
- 18 October 2026lunar 9/9
- 15 January 2027lunar 12/8
- 5 February 2027lunar 12/29
Gregorian index
Month by month in 2026
Each Gregorian month of 2026, with the lunar dates and day pillars it covers.