Li Chun (立春), 2026

Every year, Lì Chūn  (立春), or Jip Chūn (also known as the Coming of Spring, one of many other descriptions) as it is called in Penang Hokkien, sneaks in quietly. In 2026, it falls on 4 February at 4.02am 5.02am, while most people are still asleep. By the time the sun comes up, spring will have already started. At least, according to the old Chinese way of reckoning.

Back then, farmers didn’t wait to feel the warmth before preparing their fields. They do so because the calendar told them it was time. In many homes, the rice bucket gets topped up at Lì Chūn, which is not superstition but a simple gesture. Food, like time, moves in cycles. Sometimes abundance starts with the smallest act.

It is also worth remembering that, in older reckoning, Lì Chūn was once regarded as the beginning of the year itself. Before Chinese New Year became the social and festive turning point, the solar cycle held greater authority. Even today, systems like Bāzì still count the year from Lì Chūn, which is a reminder that the calendar we celebrate and the calendar the heavens follow are very seldom in sync.

So at 4.02am 5.02am on 04 February 2026, nothing dramatic will happen in my life. But I’ll be doing what I’ve been doing every year: filling my rice bucket to the brim and sticking a fresh chūn (春) character on its side. It’s a small, habitual act done without ceremony and always by myself. By that measure, before the firecrackers of Chinese New Year sound on the 17th of February, the new year will already have begun for me.

I've been writing consistently about Jip Chun in this blog since Year 2007 and if anyone wants to find the historical dates and time, the information is all here:

Li Chun, 2025 
Li Chun, 2024 
Li Chun, 2023 
Li Chun, 2022 
Li Chun, 2021 
Li Chun, 2020 
Li Chun, 2019 
Li Chun, 2018 
Li Chun, 2017 
Li Chun, 2016 
Li Chun, 2015 
Li Chun, 2014 
Li Chun, 2013 
Li Chun, 2012 
Li Chun, 2011 
Li Chun, 2010 
Li Chun, 2009 
Li Chun, 2008 
Li Chun, 2007