Chinese New Year Date Calculator (Lunar New Year Date for Any Year, 1900–2100)

How it works

Month 11 always contains the December solstice · New Year = the 2nd new moon after the month-11 new moon (3rd if a leap month 11 or 12 intervenes — a leap month is the first lunar month without a principal solar term) · new moons from Meeus ch. 49, solstice from ch. 27, both converted to Beijing time (UTC+8) · animal = (year − 4) mod 12, element = ⌊((year − 4) mod 10) ÷ 2⌋

Chinese New Year is the first day of the first month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar, so it always falls on a new moon between January 21 and February 20. The official rule (GB/T 33661-2017) counts lunar months from the one that contains the winter solstice; New Year is normally the second new moon after it, unless an intercalary month is inserted. The calculation uses precise astronomical new-moon times in China Standard Time, which is why the date can differ from a naive "new moon nearest February 4" guess and from dates in other time zones.

Worked example

For 2027, month 11 is the lunar month containing the December 2026 solstice; two new moons later, Chinese New Year is Saturday, February 6, 2027 — the Year of the Goat, element Fire, yin. New Year's Eve is February 5, the Lantern Festival is Saturday, February 20, 2027, and the lunar year lasts 354 days (no leap month), ending on January 25, 2028.

Sources: Hong Kong Observatory — Gregorian–Lunar calendar conversion table · Helmer Aslaksen — The Mathematics of the Chinese Calendar (NUS)

Frequently asked questions