Eight dates for understanding the rhythm of the 2026 Chinese calendar, calculated from lunar dates and solar terms and paired with cultural context.
Lunar-date festival
Solar-term observance
Before booking: distinguish a traditional date, a public holiday and an event day
Planning further ahead? Compare festival dates across the next ten years.
Most dates below are fixed in the Chinese lunar calendar, so their Gregorian equivalents move each year. Qingming and Dongzhi are tied to solar terms instead. The calculation records the festival date—not the duration of every celebration.
Public holidays and family observances are not identical. Official days off vary by country and region, while household practices vary by community, religion, generation and circumstance.
Traditional observance date · UTC+8
Lunar-date festival · First day of the first lunar month
The opening of the new lunar year and a season of reunion whose length and practices differ among families and communities.
Traditional observance date · UTC+8
Lunar-date festival · Fifteenth day of the first lunar month
A close to the traditional New Year season associated with lantern displays, riddles and filled rice dumplings in many communities.
Traditional observance date · UTC+8
Solar-term observance · Qingming solar term
A springtime period of family remembrance and grave visits, shaped by regional, religious and household practice.
Traditional observance date · UTC+8
Lunar-date festival · Fifth day of the fifth lunar month
A festival of layered regional traditions that can include dragon-boat racing, zongzi and stories of the poet Qu Yuan.
Traditional observance date · UTC+8
Lunar-date festival · Seventh day of the seventh lunar month
A festival connected with the Weaver Girl and Cowherd story, women’s skills in older observances, and newer romantic celebrations.
Traditional observance date · UTC+8
Lunar-date festival · Fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month
A festival associated with reunion, moon-viewing and shared food, with customs that vary by place and family.
Traditional observance date · UTC+8
Lunar-date festival · Ninth day of the ninth lunar month
An autumn observance associated in different settings with climbing, chrysanthemums, remembrance and respect for older people.
Traditional observance date · UTC+8
Solar-term observance · Winter solstice solar term
A winter-solstice observance marked through family gatherings and regionally varied foods rather than one universal menu.
The timeline gives traditional observance dates. A government holiday notice and an organizer’s programme answer different questions. The examples below follow the selected year, but holiday and event records are supplied only where separately checked.
— the first day of regular lunar month 1 in the Chinese calendar used here.
This identifies a calendar day, not a universal day off, a whole celebration season or the local date of a particular ceremony. Keep the calendar convention when sharing it across time zones.
Check the calendar method and its evidenceThese are named Singapore records, not a claim about another country, school, employer, shop or attraction. Check the official notice and your actual arrangements separately.
The Chinese Chamber of Commerce’s dated programme announced these fairs. The dates are local San Francisco civil dates, not conversions from the UTC+8 traditional date.
A fixed published programme is not proof that an event took place, is still bookable or will repeat next year. Read the organizer’s 2026 announcement, then seek a current organizer notice for a new trip.
Singapore holiday dates and San Francisco event dates are deliberately separate examples. One jurisdiction’s notice cannot establish another place’s holiday status.
A December visit and the next New Year may belong to different booking years. Use full Gregorian dates, rather than a bare month/day or last year’s holiday list.
Select 2027 above to check whether this page has a separately sourced holiday or organizer record for that year. The calculated date alone does not carry either confirmation across the boundary.
For an overnight or multi-day activity, ask the organizer for both local start and end dates. A change of year or time zone must not silently inherit a previous year’s leave or opening arrangements.
Added on October 25, 2026. The holiday and event source bodies below were checked on that date for their limited scope. Calculated traditional dates retain the calendar method’s own evidence and limitations; these additions do not approve every date, venue or employment arrangement.
Organizer’s event table announces February 14–15 and March 7–8, 2026 in San Francisco. A programme record, not proof of attendance, occurrence, holiday status or a live booking listing. Application deadlines are not used.
Official Singapore 2026 rows identify Chinese New Year on February 17 and 18. Used only for this named jurisdiction and year, not venue closure or personal leave advice.
Official Singapore Chinese New Year dates for 2026 and 2027. The February 8, 2027 note retains MOM’s condition about a February 7 rest day. No later year is extrapolated.
Read how public programmes and household practices differ, then confirm the actual invitation with its host. Suggest a sourced correction if a dated record needs attention.
These short notes identify why a date matters without implying that every Chinese household observes it in the same way.
Yuánxiāo Jié · 元宵节
A close to the traditional New Year season associated with lantern displays, riddles and filled rice dumplings in many communities.
Lantern festivals can include public displays and riddles, while foods and names vary: 元宵 and 汤圆 are related but not interchangeable in every region. Explore the fifteenth night, lantern riddles and reunion foods.
Return to this dateQīngmíng Jié · 清明节
A springtime period of family remembrance and grave visits, shaped by regional, religious and household practice.
Qingming is both a solar term and a period of remembrance. Grave visits are important in many families, but timing, rites and participation differ across regions and religious traditions. Read the guide to remembrance and respectful visits.
Return to this dateDuānwǔ Jié · 端午节
A festival of layered regional traditions that can include dragon-boat racing, zongzi and stories of the poet Qu Yuan.
The Qu Yuan story is influential, but it is not the only account of the festival’s origins. Boat racing, seasonal protection practices and regional foods have overlapping histories. Explore the stories, races and regional foods.
Return to this dateQīxī Jié · 七夕节
A festival connected with the Weaver Girl and Cowherd story, women’s skills in older observances, and newer romantic celebrations.
The Weaver Girl and Cowherd story is widely associated with Qixi. Calling it simply “Chinese Valentine’s Day” captures some modern marketing but misses older observances connected with women’s skills and seasonal storytelling. Explore Qixi’s craft traditions and contemporary celebrations, or read the story and its different tellings.
Return to this dateDōngzhì · 冬至
A winter-solstice observance marked through family gatherings and regionally varied foods rather than one universal menu.
Dongzhi marks the winter solstice in the twenty-four solar terms. Family meals can feature dumplings, tangyuan or other local foods, so no single dish defines the observance everywhere. Explore the solstice and the shared table.
Return to this dateLunar-date festivals are converted deterministically from their month and day in the Chinese calendar. Qingming and Dongzhi come from their solar-term instants. Changing the year recalculates the dates in this page without creating another indexable URL.
See why Lunar New Year moves on the Gregorian calendar, learn how to read a Chinese lunar date, or convert a date yourself.
Reviewed September 25, 2026
