2026 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Fire Horse
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Horse 马
Element
Yang Fire
Stem-branch
丙午 Bing-Wu
Zodiac year
Feb 17, 2026 to Feb 5, 2027
The 2026 Year of the Yang Fire Horse (丙午) began on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, and lasts until February 5, 2027. Births from January 1 to February 16, 2026, the first 47 days of 2026, belong to the Wood Snake year. It has 12 lunar months and 354 days, with no leap month. It contains one Start of Spring term (Feb 4, 2027).
Which animal for a 2026 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 04:02 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Feb 4, 2026, before 04:02 | Wood Snake | Wood Snake |
| Feb 4, 2026, from 04:02, to Feb 16 | Wood Snake | Fire Horse |
| Feb 17 to Dec 31, 2026 | Fire Horse | Fire Horse |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 2026 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Wood Snake (2025)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Fire Horse (2026)
Chinese New Year 2026: 2026-02-17. Lichun 2026: 2026-02-04 04:02 Beijing time. The New Year rule compares your birth date with the New Year date; the Lichun rule compares the exact moment, converted from your local time.
Lichun 2026 in other time zones
The same moment in local time. Under the Lichun rule, a birth at or after this local time takes the new animal.
Lichun 2026 was 04:02 Beijing time on February 4, 2026. In New York that was 15:02 on February 3, 2026, the day before, so a baby born in New York on Feb 3 at or after 15:02 is a Fire Horse under the Lichun rule.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 4, 2026 | 04:02 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 4, 2026 | 04:02 |
| Taipei | Feb 4, 2026 | 04:02 |
| Singapore | Feb 4, 2026 | 04:02 |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 2026 | 05:02 |
| Tokyo | Feb 4, 2026 | 05:02 |
| London | Feb 3, 2026(day before) | 20:02 |
| New York | Feb 3, 2026(day before) | 15:02 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 3, 2026(day before) | 12:02 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 2026 | 07:02 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 2026, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 2026 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Feb 17, 2026 |
| Lantern Festival | Mar 3, 2026 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 5, 2026 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 19, 2026 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 19, 2026 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 27, 2026 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 25, 2026 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 18, 2026 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 22, 2026 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 15, 2027 |
The Horse and 丙午 in the calendar
The Horse is the Earthly Branch 午 (Wu); it also marks the double hour from 11 am to 1 pm, the direction South and the fixed element Fire. 2026's own element, Fire, comes from the Heavenly Stem 丙. All Years of the Horse.
丙午 is the 43rd year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1906 (see the Year of the Horse table), 1966 and 2086 (see the Year of the Horse table).
Lunar months of the 2026 lunar year
12 months, no leap month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Feb 17, 2026 | 30 |
| 2nd month | Mar 19, 2026 | 29 |
| 3rd month | Apr 17, 2026 | 30 |
| 4th month | May 17, 2026 | 29 |
| 5th month | Jun 15, 2026 | 29 |
| 6th month | Jul 14, 2026 | 30 |
| 7th month | Aug 13, 2026 | 29 |
| 8th month | Sep 11, 2026 | 29 |
| 9th month | Oct 10, 2026 | 30 |
| 10th month | Nov 9, 2026 | 30 |
| 11th month | Dec 9, 2026 | 30 |
| 12th month | Jan 8, 2027 | 29 |
The 24 solar terms in 2026
Beijing time. The 12 terms marked with a month begin the solar months that the Four Pillars use; Lichun opens the year. What each term means.
| Solar term | Date | Time | Four Pillars month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor Cold 小寒 Xiaohan | Jan 5 | 16:23 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 20 | 09:44 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 4 | 04:02 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 18 | 23:51 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 5 | 21:59 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 20 | 22:45 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 5 | 02:40 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 09:39 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 5 | 19:48 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 08:36 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 5 | 23:48 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 21 | 16:24 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 09:56 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 23 | 03:13 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 7 | 19:42 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 10:18 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 7 | 22:41 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 23 | 08:05 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 14:29 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 23 | 17:37 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 7 | 17:52 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 15:23 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 10:52 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 22 | 04:50 |
Dates are checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables; times are calculated. A dash means the term falls within minutes of midnight, where the calculated time and the Observatory's date disagree; the Observatory's date is shown.
FAQ
What Chinese zodiac sign is someone born in January or February 2026?
The Year of the Horse began on February 17, 2026. Anyone born from January 1 to February 16, 2026 belongs to the previous year, the Wood Snake (乙巳); anyone born on or after February 17, 2026 is a Fire Horse. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Horse year began at 04:02 China Standard Time on February 4, 2026 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 2026 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Friday, September 25, 2026. The next one, on September 15, 2027, comes 10 days earlier in the Gregorian calendar, because no leap month falls between the two.
Did the 2026 lunar year have a leap month?
No. The 2026 lunar year has 12 months and 354 days: 6 long months of 30 days and 6 short months of 29 days.
What element is 2026 in the Chinese zodiac?
2026 is a Yang Fire year: its Heavenly Stem 丙 (Bing) carries Fire, and its Earthly Branch 午 (Wu) is the Horse. Together they make 丙午, the 43rd year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 2026?
Lichun came first, on February 4, 2026 at 04:02. Births from then until February 16, 2026 are a Wood Snake under the popular New Year rule but a Fire Horse under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule.
Nearby years
Dates are calculated with astronomical algorithms in China Standard Time (UTC+8) and checked against the Hong Kong Observatory, Gregorian-Lunar Calendar Conversion Table. Zodiac information describes the traditional calendar and is not a prediction.