China Internet Information Center
  February 2013  

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

 

 

1 2

3

 

4

Beginning of Spring

5 6 7 8 9

10

1st/1st mo.

11 12 13 14 15 16

17

 

18

Rain Water

19 20 21 22 23

24

15th/1st mo.

25 26 27 28

Holidays and Observances:

2: World Wetland Day.

3: Preliminary Eve/Little New Year (23th of the 12th lunar month). According to legend, the kitchen god delivers reports on families to the Jade Emperor of Heaven. To induce the kitchen god to speak favorably, people traditionally offer sacrifices of candy or sweet, sticky cake to him.

9: Lunar New Year's Eve, the last day of each lunar year. It includes such traditional activities as pasting New Year's couplets on doorframes and New Year's pictures on doors or walls, offering sacrifices to ancestors, having a family reunion dinner, staying up to see the old year out and usher in the new, and giving children gifts of money.

10: Spring Festival (Chinese New Year's Day), 1st of the first lunar month, three days off.

14: Valentine's Day.

24: Lantern Festival, 15th of the 1st lunar month, marking the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations with a display of colorful lanterns and eating of yuanxiao, glutinous rice dumplings.

 
Notes:

1. In the traditional calendar, the new moon indicates the first day of a lunar month; the full moon marks the 15th day.

2. Dates in red are official holidays. To give workers longer holidays during the year, the Saturday and Sunday immediately preceding or following the extended holiday are official workdays. In 2013, there are twelve official working Saturdays and Sundays respectively on January 5 (Saturday), January 6 (Sunday), February 16 (Saturday), February 17 (Sunday), April 7 (Sunday), April 27 (Saturday), April 28 (Sunday), June 8 (Saturday), June 9 (Sunday), September 22 (Sunday), September 29 (Sunday) and October 12 (Saturday).

3. The 24 Seasonal Division Points:

Order & Name of Seasonal Division Point Sun's Position at Ecliptic Gregorian Calendar Date
Spring 1.Beginning of Spring
2.Rain Water
3.Waking of Insects
4.Vernal Equinox
5.Pure Brightness
6.Grain Rain
315°
330°
345°

15°
30°
4 or 5 February
18 or 19 February
5 or 6 March
20 or 21 March
4 or 5 April
20 or 21 April
Summer 7.Beginning of Summer
8.Grain Budding
9.Grain in Ear
10.Summer Solstice
11.Slight Heat
12.Great Heat
45°
60°
75°
90°
105°
120°
5 or 6 May
21 or 22 May
5 or 6 June
21 or 22 June
7 or 8 July
22 or 23 July
Autumn 13.Beginning of Autumn
14.Limit of Heat
15.White Dew
16.Autumnal Equinox
17.Cold Dew
18.Frost's Descent
135°
150°
165°
180°
195°
210°
7 or 8 August
23 or 24 August
7 or 8 September
22 or 23 September
8 or 9 October
23 or 24 October
Winter 19.Beginning of Winter
20.Slight Snow
21.Great Snow
22.Winter Solstice
23.Slight Cold
24.Great Cold
225°
240°
255°
270°
285°
300°
7 or 8 November
22 or 23 November
7 or 8 December
21 or 22 December
5 or 6 January
20 or 21 January
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