Chinese calendar guides

Last updated 2026-10-15

The calendar pages on this site give dates; these guides explain the rules behind them. Every figure in them is calculated from the same data, checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables.

• Born in January or FebruaryWhy early-year birthdays often belong to the previous animal, and the three dates to check.
• Lichun vs Chinese New YearThe lunar New Year and the solar Start of Spring, how far apart they fall, and double-spring and blind years.
• Leap monthsWhy the lunar calendar adds a 13th month about 7 times in 19 years, and which months repeat.
• Why the New Year date movesThe new-moon rule behind the date, its January 21 to February 20 range, and the one exception this century.
• Born outside ChinaLichun is a moment in Beijing time, so in the Americas and Europe it often falls on the previous day.
• How we check the dates73,048 days compared one by one, and the 7 midnight cases where we follow the Observatory.