Deity Birthdays: 2026 and 2027 Gregorian Dates
The Jade Emperor's birthday, the Earth God's birthday, Mazu's birthday: temple festivals in Taiwan run on lunar dates, so every year means checking an almanac for the Gregorian day. Here the common deity birthdays and folk festival days are converted all at once.
Look up a deity's birthday
Pick a deity and a year to see the Gregorian date, or enter a Gregorian date to see whose day it is. Everything is calculated in your browser.
In "Deity → Gregorian date" the year is the lunar year, so sending off the gods in the 12th month lands in January or February of the next Gregorian year. Conversions use the same engine as the lunar calendar converter.
Deity birthdays and folk festival days, year round
| Lunar date | Deity | 2026 (Horse) | 2027 (Goat) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st month, day 6 | Qingshui Zushi (the Patriarch of Clear Water) | Sun, Feb 22 | Thu, Feb 11 | |
| 1st month, day 5 | Welcoming the God of Wealth (day 5 of the new year) | Sat, Feb 21 | Wed, Feb 10 | Known as "Gekai"; many shops and offices reopen around this day |
| 1st month, day 4 | Welcoming the Gods Back (day 4 of the new year) | Fri, Feb 20 | Tue, Feb 9 | The gods sent up to heaven on day 24 of the 12th month return |
| 1st month, day 9 | The Jade Emperor (Tiangong, the Lord of Heaven) | Wed, Feb 25 | Sun, Feb 14 | |
| 1st month, day 15 | Tianguan (the Official of Heaven) | Tue, Mar 3 | Sat, Feb 20 | Same day as the Lantern Festival |
| 2nd month, day 2 | Tudigong (the Earth God) | Fri, Mar 20 | Tue, Mar 9 | Touya, the first "ya" offering of the year |
| 2nd month, day 3 | Wenchang Dijun (god of literature and exams) | Sat, Mar 21 | Wed, Mar 10 | |
| 2nd month, day 15 | Kaizhang Shengwang (the Sage King who opened Zhangzhou) | Thu, Apr 2 | Mon, Mar 22 | Some temples keep day 16 |
| 2nd month, day 19 | Guanyin (bodhisattva of compassion) | Mon, Apr 6 | Fri, Mar 26 | Birthday; the 6th month, day 19 marks her enlightenment and the 9th month, day 19 her renunciation |
| 3rd month, day 3 | Xuantian Shangdi (the Emperor of the Dark Heaven) | Sun, Apr 19 | Fri, Apr 9 | |
| 3rd month, day 15 | Baosheng Dadi (a physician honored in folk religion) | Fri, May 1 | Wed, Apr 21 | |
| 3rd month, day 20 | Zhusheng Niangniang (goddess of childbirth) | Wed, May 6 | Mon, Apr 26 | |
| 3rd month, day 23 | Mazu (goddess of the sea) | Sat, May 9 | Thu, Apr 29 | The 9th month, day 9 marks her ascension |
| 4th month, day 8 | Buddha's Birthday (Shakyamuni Buddha, the bathing-the-Buddha festival) | Sun, May 24 | Thu, May 13 | |
| 4th month, day 14 | Lü Dongbin (one of the Eight Immortals) | Sat, May 30 | Wed, May 19 | The 5th month, day 18 marks his attainment of the Dao |
| 4th month, day 26 | Shennong (the Divine Farmer) | Thu, Jun 11 | Mon, May 31 | |
| 6th month, day 6 | Huye (the Tiger Lord) | Sun, Jul 19 | Fri, Jul 9 | |
| 6th month, day 19 | Guanyin's Enlightenment Day (bodhisattva of compassion) | Sat, Aug 1 | Thu, Jul 22 | |
| 6th month, day 24 | Guan Gong (Guan Yu, god of loyalty) | Thu, Aug 6 | Tue, Jul 27 | |
| 7th month, day 7 | Qiniangma (the Seven Star Mother, guardian of children) | Wed, Aug 19 | Sun, Aug 8 | Same day as the Qixi Festival |
| 7th month, day 15 | Diguan (the Official of Earth) | Thu, Aug 27 | Mon, Aug 16 | Same day as the Ghost Festival offerings |
| 7th month, day 30 | Dizang (Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva) | Thu, Sep 10 | Tue, Aug 31 | In years when the 7th month has only 29 days, it moves to day 29 |
| 8th month, day 3 | Zaojun (the Kitchen God) | Sun, Sep 13 | Fri, Sep 3 | The gods are sent off on day 24 of the 12th month |
| 8th month, day 15 | Yue Lao (the matchmaker god) | Fri, Sep 25 | Wed, Sep 15 | Same day as the Mid-Autumn Festival |
| 9th month, day 9 | Nezha (the Third Prince) | Sun, Oct 18 | Fri, Oct 8 | |
| 9th month, day 19 | Guanyin's Renunciation Day (bodhisattva of compassion) | Wed, Oct 28 | Mon, Oct 18 | |
| 10th month, day 15 | Shuiguan (the Official of Water) | Mon, Nov 23 | Fri, Nov 12 | |
| 12th month, day 24 | Sending Off the Gods (day 24 of the 12th month) | Sun, Jan 31 | Thu, Jan 20 | The Kitchen God and other gods go up to heaven to report, returning on day 4 of the new year |
"2026" and "2027" are lunar years, so sending off the gods in the 12th month lands in January or February of the following Gregorian year. Dates follow common practice in Taiwan, and individual temples sometimes differ; a day-30 date is kept on day 29 in a short month.
Why the dates change every year
Most deity birthdays are recorded by the lunar calendar, which follows the moon: a lunar year runs about 354 days and has leap months, so the Gregorian date moves every year. Any lunar date can be converted with the lunar calendar converter.
Good to know before a temple visit
- Each temple sets its own ceremony and procession dates, which are not always the birthday itself.
- Many temples now encourage less incense, fewer burners and good deeds in place of burning paper money; check the temple's notices first.
- Some people look at the main stars in their Zi Wei Dou Shu chart to find a deity they feel close to; see which deity matches your chart.
Three common misconceptions
A deity's birthday falls on the same day every year.
It is the same lunar date, but a different Gregorian date every year, so you need to check again each year.
Every temple keeps the same birthdays.
Most do, but some temples follow their own lineage. Kaizhang Shengwang, for example, is celebrated on day 15 or day 16 of the 2nd month depending on the temple.
Weiya is a company event with nothing to do with the gods.
Weiya began as the last offering of the year to the Earth God, on day 16 of the 12th month; see the Earth God's Birthday.
The deities one by one
A straight word: this is a folk-religion calendar
Most deity birthdays are dates handed down in popular tradition, and temples and schools sometimes differ. We use the dates most common in Taiwan and work out the Gregorian dates carefully so you can plan ahead. For how to worship, follow the temple's own rules; many temples now encourage less incense and good deeds in place of burning paper money. We make no claims about efficacy, and everything here is for reference and entertainment.
Beyond the deity calendar, read your own chart
Enter your birthday to get your BaZi four pillars for free and see your Five Elements and Ten Gods.
Deity birthdays: common questions
When is Mazu's Birthday in 2026?
It is the 3rd lunar month, day 23, which in 2026 is Sat, May 9, 2026.
When is the Jade Emperor's Birthday?
The 1st lunar month, day 9: Wed, Feb 25, 2026 in 2026 and Sun, Feb 14, 2027 in 2027.
When is the Earth God's Birthday?
The 2nd lunar month, day 2 (Touya), which in 2027 is Tue, Mar 9, 2027.
How can I find out whose birthday it is today?
Use the lookup on this page: choose "Gregorian date → deity" and enter the date.