Welcome! Use the calculator above to find when your lunar birthday falls each year. Below you can explore how the traditional Chinese lunar calendar works, its history, and how different cultures celebrate lunar birthdays.
Learn the difference between solar and lunar calendars, and how the traditional Chinese calendar combines Moon cycles with the solar year. This section explains the basics of lunisolar calendars and sets the stage for understanding lunar birthdays.
Read more →Discover the origins of the traditional Chinese calendar, from ancient stargazers of the Shang Dynasty to its role in festivals today. This section traces how the lunisolar calendar developed and why it remains culturally significant even after the switch to the Gregorian calendar.
Read more →Ever wonder why Lunar New Year moves each year, or how to find your birthdate on the lunar calendar? This section demystifies the Chinese lunisolar calendar: lunar months, leap months, and how to convert dates between lunar and Gregorian. Learn how our calculator figures out your lunar birthday!
Read more →Why do we call someone born in 1990 a Horse and someone in 1991 a Goat? Explore the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, the legend behind them, and how this zodiac cycle is used to label years. Learn about the 60-year cycle and why your zodiac birth year (benmingnian) is said to bring a few extra challenges!
Read more →How are birthdays celebrated using the lunar calendar? This section explores Chinese birthday customs: why many elders go by the lunar date, the special foods like longevity noodles and peach buns that convey blessings, and the big milestone birthdays (like the 1st and the 60th) that are richly celebrated. Find out what to do (and what to avoid) on a traditional Chinese birthday.
Read more →Did you know many cultures use lunar calendars? This section looks at how our East Asian neighbors like Korea and Vietnam celebrate birthdays by the lunar calendar (often only older generations do so nowadays). Discover why all Vietnamese used to “age” together at New Year, how Koreans often have two birthdays, and which calendars our calculator supports.
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