Want to know today's lunar date? What's the lunar equivalent of a Gregorian date? Our lunar calendar tool helps you quickly convert between Gregorian and Chinese lunar dates, plus lookup Ganzhi years, zodiac animals, and traditional festivals!
How to Use the Lunar Calendar Tool
Select a Gregorian date (year, month, day) and the tool automatically calculates and displays the corresponding lunar date. You can view the lunar month, lunar day, Ganzhi year (like 'Year of the Dragon'), and zodiac animal. The page also shows if the selected date falls on a traditional festival.
Common Uses for Lunar Calendar Lookup
- Birthday lookup - Find your or family members' lunar birthday
- Festival planning - Look up Gregorian dates for Chinese New Year, Mid-Autumn, Dragon Boat
- Auspicious dates - Reference for weddings, moving, and other important events
- Zodiac lookup - Confirm the zodiac animal for any birth year
- Ganzhi years - Learn the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches for any year
What is the Ganzhi System
The Ganzhi system is the traditional Chinese method of counting years, combining 10 Heavenly Stems (Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, Gui) with 12 Earthly Branches (Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai) in a 60-year cycle. For example, 2024 is the Year of Jiachen (Dragon). The Ganzhi system is widely used in Chinese calendars, astrology, and traditional culture.
Major Traditional Festivals
The Chinese lunar calendar includes many important traditional festivals: Spring Festival (1st day of 1st lunar month), Lantern Festival (15th of 1st), Dragon Boat Festival (5th of 5th), Qixi Festival (7th of 7th), Mid-Autumn Festival (15th of 8th), Double Ninth Festival (9th of 9th), Laba Festival (8th of 12th), and New Year's Eve (30th of 12th). These festivals fall on different Gregorian dates each year.
FAQ
Q: Is the lunar calendar the same as a 'pure lunar' calendar?
A: Strictly speaking, the Chinese lunar calendar is a 'lunisolar' calendar - it considers both the moon's phases (lunar part) and the sun's cycle (adjusted through leap months). In everyday usage, when people say 'lunar calendar' they typically mean the traditional Chinese calendar.
Q: How do I find the zodiac for a specific year?
A: Select any date from that year to see the zodiac animal in the details section. Note that zodiac years start from the 1st day of the 1st lunar month, not January 1st on the Gregorian calendar.
Q: Why do Chinese festivals fall on different dates each year?
A: Because the lunar calendar is based on the moon's phases, with each lunar month averaging about 29.5 days - different from Gregorian months. The lunar calendar uses leap months to stay synchronized with the solar year, causing festival dates to shift on the Gregorian calendar each year.