Quick Answer: How Are Chinese Festival Dates Read?
First find out whether the date comes from a numbered lunar month, a solar term or a public holiday schedule. Use the conversion table for the year you need. The same lunar month and day can fall on a different Gregorian date the next year.[1][2]
- Lunar date. Mid-Autumn falls on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month.[1][2]
- Solar date. Qingming follows the solar term called Bright and Clear.[2][3]
- Public holiday. A government may designate the following day as the holiday.[4]
Check both the festival date and the local holiday announcement if you are planning around closures or a public event.
The phrase “eighth month, fifteenth day” can look like August 15. In a traditional festival calendar it normally means day 15 of lunar month eight. A conversion table lets you find the civil date for a particular year.
Tell a Lunar Date From a Solar Term
The traditional Chinese calendar is lunisolar. Its months follow the cycle of the Moon, with occasional added months to keep the calendar aligned with the seasons. The extra month is a leap month (閏月, rùnyuè). The 2025 table, for example, shows the regular sixth month followed by another sixth month marked as a leap month. Record which one your source means if the number appears twice.[1]
A solar term (節氣, jiéqì) comes from the Sun’s apparent position along its annual path. Qingming follows that solar framework. On the conversion table, look for Bright and Clear in the solar terms column and read its Gregorian date directly.[2][3]
| Festival | Calendar rule | Gregorian date in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Dragon Boat Festival | Fifth day of the fifth lunar month | June 19 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month | September 25 |
| Qingming | Bright and Clear solar term | April 5 |
The dates in the last column apply to 2026. The underlying rules let you look up the festivals for other years.[2][4]
Look Up a Chinese Festival Date in Four Steps
- Write down the festival rule. Note the lunar month and day or the exact solar term used.
- Open the calendar for the correct year. Use a Gregorian–lunar conversion table that includes solar terms if the festival follows the Sun.
- Find the date in the appropriate column. For a lunar date, find the correct month and then the day. For a solar term, read the listed Gregorian date.
- Check the local schedule separately. Confirm the public holiday and any festival event dates with the relevant local authority or organizer.
For Mid-Autumn Festival, first locate day one of the eighth lunar month. In 2026 it appears under September 11. The fifteenth day therefore appears under September 25. The 2025 table puts the same lunar date on October 6. Keeping the Gregorian year in the note prevents the two dates from getting mixed up.[1][2]
Read the Festival Date and the Holiday Separately
Hong Kong’s 2026 general holiday list names September 26 as the day following the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. The traditional festival itself fell on September 25. Likewise, Qingming fell on a Sunday that year, and the gazetted list designated a substitute holiday. A festival calendar tells you when to observe the festival. The public holiday list tells you when the jurisdiction observes the day off.[2][4]
FAQs About Chinese Festival Dates
Does the eighth lunar month mean August?
The eighth lunar month is numbered within the traditional calendar. Use the conversion table for the year to find where it falls on the Gregorian calendar.[1][2]
What if the calendar repeats a lunar month?
Check whether the second month is marked as a leap month. Record the regular or leap designation along with the month number before converting the date.[1]
Why can a festival and its public holiday have different dates?
Local holiday rules can specify another date, such as the day after the festival or a substitute day. A festival’s traditional date remains a separate calendar entry.[4]
Sources
[1] Hong Kong Observatory. Gregorian–Lunar Calendar Conversion Table of 2025
[2] Hong Kong Observatory. Gregorian–Lunar Calendar Conversion Table of 2026
[3] Hong Kong Observatory. The 24 Solar Terms
[4] Hong Kong Government. General holidays for 2026