Unlike the Pagan Wheel of the Year which only has 8 sabbats, there are 24 Chinese solar terms.
These solar terms were originally used to help guide farmers with their harvests and are still used today to an extent. The following chart has been written for the Northern Hemisphere. The dates are reversed for the Southern Hemisphere.
|
Season |
Solar Terms |
Chinese |
2020 Dates |
|
Spring |
Spring Starts |
立春 – Li Chun |
Feb. 4th |
|
Rain Water |
雨水 -Yu Shui |
Feb. 19th |
|
|
Awakening Insects |
惊蛰 – Jing Zhe |
Mar. 5th |
|
|
Spring Equinox |
春分 – Chun Fen |
Mar. 20th |
|
|
Clear and Bright |
清明 – Qing Ming |
Apr. 4th |
|
|
Grain Rain |
谷雨 – Gu Yu |
Apr. 19th |
|
|
Summer |
Summer Starts |
立夏 – Li Xia |
May 5th |
|
Grain Full |
小满 – Xiao Man |
May 20th |
|
|
Grain in Ear |
芒种 – Mang Zhong |
Jun. 5th |
|
|
Summer Solstice |
夏至 – Xia Zhi |
Jun. 21st |
|
|
Slight Heat |
小暑 – Xiao Shu |
Jul. 6th |
|
|
Great Heat |
大暑 – Da Shu |
Jul. 22nd |
|
|
Autumn |
Autumn Starts |
立秋 – Li Qiu |
Aug. 7th |
|
Limit of Heat |
处暑 – Chu Shu |
Aug. 22nd |
|
|
White Dew |
白露 – Bai Lu |
Sep. 7th |
|
|
Autumn Equinox |
秋分 – Qiu Fen |
Sep. 22nd |
|
|
Cold Dew |
寒露 – Han Lu |
Oct. 8th |
|
|
Frost’s Descent |
霜降 – Shuang Jiang |
Oct. 23rd |
|
|
Winter |
Winter Starts |
立冬 – Li Dong |
Nov. 7th |
|
Light Snow |
小雪 – Xiao Xue |
Nov. 22nd |
|
|
Heavy Snow |
大雪 – Da Xue |
Dec. 6th |
|
|
Winter Solstice |
冬至 – Dong Zhi |
Dec. 21st |
|
|
Slight Cold |
小寒 – Xiao Han |
Jan. 6th, 2021 |
|
|
Great Cold |
大寒- Da Han |
Jan. 20th, 2021 |
More information on the solar terms can be found here.