All 24 solar terms · 1/24
Start of Spring 立春 · Lìchūn
Start of spring in the Chinese reckoning and the start of the year for the Four Pillars. In the north people 'bite the spring' (咬春 yǎo chūn) with spring pancakes (春饼) or raw radish; historically officials held a welcoming-spring rite and struck a clay 'spring ox' (鞭春牛).
- Longitude of the Sun315°
- Jie / ZhongqiJie (节), a sectional term: it begins a month of the Four Pillars
- Sekki立春 risshun
Start of Spring: when it begins, 2026 to 2031
| 2026 | 4 February 2026, 04:02 | 3 February, 20:02 UTC |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 4 February 2027, 09:46 | 4 February, 01:46 UTC |
| 2028 | 4 February 2028, 15:31 | 4 February, 07:31 UTC |
| 2029 | 3 February 2029, 21:20 | 3 February, 13:20 UTC |
| 2030 | 4 February 2030, 03:08 | 3 February, 19:08 UTC |
| 2031 | 4 February 2031, 08:58 | 4 February, 00:58 UTC |
Its three kō in Japan
- 東風解凍 harukaze kōri o toku: East wind melts the ice · 4 February 2027
- 黄鶯睍睆 uguisu naku: Bush warblers sing in the mountains · 9 February 2027
- 魚上氷 uo kōri o izuru: Fish rise from the ice · 14 February 2027
Calculated from the Sun's apparent position (PyEphem), to about a minute. Names, meanings and customs after the Hong Kong Observatory, the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan and UNESCO.