When Is Lunar New Year's Eve? Dates for 2026–2036
Lunar New Year's Eve is the last day of the lunar year. Families gather for the reunion dinner, elders hand out red envelopes, and some people stay up past midnight to see the new year in.
Lunar New Year's Eve dates, 2026–2036
| Lunar year | Lunar New Year's Eve (Gregorian) |
|---|---|
| 2026 (Horse) | Mon, Feb 16, 2026 |
| 2027 (Goat) | Fri, Feb 5, 2027 |
| 2028 (Monkey) | Tue, Jan 25, 2028 |
| 2029 (Rooster) | Mon, Feb 12, 2029 |
| 2030 (Dog) | Sat, Feb 2, 2030 |
| 2031 (Pig) | Wed, Jan 22, 2031 |
| 2032 (Rat) | Tue, Feb 10, 2032 |
| 2033 (Ox) | Sun, Jan 30, 2033 |
| 2034 (Tiger) | Sat, Feb 18, 2034 |
| 2035 (Rabbit) | Wed, Feb 7, 2035 |
| 2036 (Dragon) | Sun, Jan 27, 2036 |
Converted by our calendar engine (UTC+8). New Year's Eve is the last day of the old lunar year; "lunar year" in the table means the year about to begin. Taiwan public holiday status: a public holiday (the first day of the Lunar New Year break). Actual days off follow the announcement of the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration.
Common Lunar New Year's Eve customs in Taiwan
- Reunion dinner (weilu, "around the stove"): the whole family eats together; fish is a favorite because "fish" sounds like "surplus", and long-life greens are common.
- Red envelopes: elders give lucky money to the young, and adult children often give envelopes to their parents in return.
- Shousui: staying up late to welcome the new year.
How New Year's Eve 2027 unfolds (Fri, Feb 5)
Morning: finishing the cleaning, putting up couplets. The big year-end cleaning usually starts on the day the gods are sent off; on the morning of the eve the last corners are finished, the old spring couplets come down and new ones go up. Couplets, door-god pictures and the character "fu" (good fortune) are best up by noon, because the afternoon is for offerings.
Midday to afternoon: offerings to the gods, the ancestors and the dizhuzhu. In Taiwan the eve usually means three rounds of offerings: first to the gods worshiped at home, then to the ancestors, and finally to the dizhuzhu, the spirit of the land the house stands on, in the kitchen or by the back door. The ancestors' offerings are usually the dishes of the reunion dinner, reheated afterward and served; the dizhuzhu's can be simple, set out facing into the house.
Evening: the reunion dinner. The meal starts when the whole family is there. Common dishes are a whole fish (yu, which sounds like "surplus": "surplus year after year"), long-year greens (mustard greens, for a long life together), chicken (ji, which sounds like "building a household"), garlic chives (jiu, which sounds like "long-lasting"), fa gao (prosperity cake) and turnip cake. Some families put a small stove under the table, true to the old name weilu, "gathering around the stove." A little of the fish is often left on purpose, so there is "something left over" every year.
After dinner: red envelopes and staying up. Elders give the young lucky money, and working adult children often give envelopes to their parents in return. Amounts usually avoid the number four (which sounds like "death") and favor even or lucky numbers. Staying up to see the new year in (shousui) was traditionally said to add years to one's parents' lives; these days it usually means watching the New Year shows and chatting together, then going to bed after midnight.
The zi hour: opening the new year. Past midnight it is day 1 of the 1st month. Some households open the front door and set off firecrackers to "open the year" (kaizheng), or head to a temple to offer the first incense. Note that our BaZi charts change the day at 11 p.m., while the folk New Year turns at midnight; they are two separate systems.
Where New Year's Eve, staying up and lucky money come from
Chu means to remove or clear away, and xi means evening: chuxi, New Year's Eve, is the last night of the old year. The 12th lunar month has either 30 or 29 days, so the eve is not always "the 30th"; in 2027 it falls on day 29. When people say "the 30th of the year" in everyday speech, they really mean the last day of the year, whatever its number.
Staying up on the eve is recorded early: the Jin-dynasty Records of Local Customs by Zhou Chu describes families sitting up all night together, which it calls shousui, "keeping watch over the year." Over time it took on two meanings: elders stay up to treasure the year gone by, and the young stay up to pray for their parents' long life. Few people really stay up all night now; seeing the new year in past midnight and then going to bed is enough.
Lucky money was originally written 壓祟錢, "money to press down evil spirits," meant to keep children safe over New Year; later it was written with the near-homophone 壓歲錢, "money to press down the year." In folk tales the monster Nian fears the color red, fire and loud noises, so couplets go up, lamps are lit and firecrackers set off on the eve, all ways of seeing the old year out safely. Taiwan's reunion dinner pays special attention to long-year greens: the mustard greens are cooked whole, without cutting, for a long life.
Common New Year's Eve taboos and where they come from
| The custom | Where it comes from and what it means |
|---|---|
| No unlucky words | New Year is about a good start, so from the eve to day 5 people avoid words like death, illness, poverty or losing; when a child says the wrong thing, adults often add "children's words carry no harm." |
| Break a bowl, say "sui sui ping an" | Sui, "broken," sounds like sui, "year," so breaking something becomes "peace year after year," turning an accident into a blessing. Some people wrap the pieces in red paper and throw them away after day 5. |
| Leave some of the fish | For "surplus year after year": leaving a little of the head and tail means a good beginning and end, with something to spare. |
| No lending or collecting debts | Folk belief holds that lending or chasing money on the eve means money flowing out, or a whole year spent chasing debts, so accounts are best settled before the gods are sent off. |
| Be home early on the eve | The reunion dinner is about the whole family together, so people try not to stay out that night; those working away from home make sure to arrive before evening. |
These are folk customs meant to give the new year a good start, not verdicts of fortune; if you cannot keep them, there is no need to worry.
The almanac for New Year's Eve 2027, and which sign it clashes
February 5, 2027 is New Year's Eve. Its almanac entries and clash are below, and the note underneath says which zodiac sign the day clashes with: by custom, people of that sign postpone important business that day (signing contracts, moving in and the like); the reunion dinner and offerings go ahead as usual.
| Date | Fri, Feb 5, 2027 |
|---|---|
| Lunar date | 12th lunar month, day 29 · Yi-Mao day |
| Favorable | Marriage, Ancestral offerings, Praying for blessings, Praying for children, Consecrating statues, Travel, Moving the altar out, Demolition, Groundbreaking, Raising the ridgepole, Taking in family or staff, Moving in |
| Avoid | None |
| Clash and sha | clashes with the Rooster (酉); sha in the due west |
| Day spirit and officer | Vermilion Bird (Black Path) · Remove day |
The day branch is Mao (卯), the Rabbit's branch. It clashes with the Rooster; it forms a Six Combination with the Dog and a trine with the Pig and Goat. No other sign clashes.
Calculated by our calendar engine (the same one behind the date finder and daily almanac); printed almanacs sometimes differ.
Lunar ⇄ Gregorian converter
Pick a direction and enter a date. For lunar to Gregorian, tick "leap month" if the date is in a leap month; a lunar birthday also shows its Gregorian date for the next 10 years. Everything is calculated in your browser.
For lunar dates, month 1 is the first month and month 12 the last (the "La" month). Covers the years 1901 to 2099.
A common misconception
New Year's Eve always falls on day 30 of the 12th month.
When the 12th month has only 29 days, the eve is day 29. Between 1901 and 2100, about 40% of all New Year's Eves fall on day 29.
Other festivals and conversions
A straight word: BaZi follows the solar terms, not lunar dates
The Chinese calendar is lunisolar: months follow the moon, and festivals and lunar birthdays are counted by it. BaZi does not use lunar months, though. Its year changes at the Start of Spring and its months at the solar terms, and a chart is cast from the Gregorian birth date and time. Our conversions use China Standard Time (UTC+8), the same time zone as the lunar calendar published by Taiwan's Central Weather Administration. Everything on this site is for reference and entertainment.
Beyond the festivals, read your own chart
BaZi sets its years and months by the solar terms and is cast from your Gregorian birth time. Enter your birthday to get your four pillars for free.
Lunar New Year's Eve: common questions
When is Lunar New Year's Eve in 2026?
Mon, Feb 16, 2026. In 2027 it falls on Fri, Feb 5, 2027.
What lunar date is Lunar New Year's Eve?
The last day of the 12th lunar month, the eve of Lunar New Year.
Is Lunar New Year's Eve a day off?
In Taiwan it is a public holiday (the first day of the Lunar New Year break). Actual days off follow the official government announcement.
How many offerings are made on New Year's Eve 2027?
In Taiwan it is commonly three rounds: first to the gods worshiped at home, then to the ancestors, and finally to the dizhuzhu, the spirit of the house's land. Customs vary by family; follow your elders' practice.
What dishes belong on the reunion dinner table?
Common ones are a whole fish (surplus every year), long-year greens (a long life together), chicken (building a household), garlic chives (long-lasting), and fa gao and turnip cake (a good start). You do not need all of them; the point is the good wishes.
Which zodiac sign does New Year's Eve 2027 clash with?
February 5, 2027 is a Yi-Mao day, which clashes with the Rooster. That only affects whether to schedule important business on the day; the reunion dinner and offerings go ahead as usual.
How much should go in a red envelope?
There is no fixed amount; it depends on each family's means and habits. In Taiwan people avoid the number four and favor even or lucky numbers, such as NT$600, 800, 1,200 or 2,000.
Do I have to stay up until dawn on New Year's Eve?
No. Staying up is about treasuring the old year and welcoming the new one; these days most people go to bed after midnight. Your rest matters more than the custom.