July 2026 almanac

July 1–31, 2026 runs from Month 5, day 17 to Month 6, day 18 of the Chinese year Bing-Wu. Solar terms this month: Minor Heat, Major Heat. Select a date to open it in the calendar with the full almanac, lucky hours and moon phase.

Lunar dates

Month 5, day 17 – Month 6, day 18

Month pillar

Jia-Wu / Yi-Wei

Solar terms

Minor Heat, Major Heat

Auspicious days

15 days

July: Minor Heat, Major Heat and the dog days

Minor Heat falls around 6 to 8 July and Major Heat around 22 or 23 July, spanning the hottest part of the year. Northern China enters its rainy season. After the plum rains end, the Yangtze basin sits under the subtropical high, bringing sultry days with little rain and sometimes a midsummer drought. Southern China and Hong Kong are hot and humid with frequent typhoons, and in Taiwan afternoon thunderstorms alternate with typhoons while lowland temperatures often approach or exceed 35°C.

The 'three fu' periods, the traditional reckoning of the dog days, usually begin in mid-July and run into mid or late August. 1 July is HKSAR Establishment Day, a public holiday in Hong Kong. Around the 15th of the sixth lunar month, some places in Taiwan mark the halfway point of the year by offering red and white rice balls to the ancestors. The seventh lunar month usually begins in August, but in a few years it starts in late July.

Traditional summer eating aims to cool the body: mung bean soup, winter melon, bitter melon and grass jelly are common, and Guangdong has a saying about eating grass jelly at Major Heat. In traditional Chinese medicine, some people apply herbal patches during the dog days to treat winter ailments in summer; anyone considering this should consult a qualified practitioner. Southern China rushes to harvest early rice and plant the late crop, Taiwan plants its second rice crop, and some people hurry to marry or move before the seventh lunar month.

Solar terms and moon phases

Times are in UTC+8.

Festivals, deity birthdays and holidays

Key day spirits this month

Click a date for that day’s full list of spirits. Day spirits ›

Good days at a glance

Rated with this site’s simplified almanac rules; only days rated four stars or more are listed. To exclude days that clash with your zodiac sign, use the Pick a date tool on the home page.

Daily almanac

Months: Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec · 2026 almanac