Tibetan calendar today: Phugpa date converter and Losar

Convert any Gregorian date to the Tibetan Phugpa calendar: lunar month and day, leap months, skipped or doubled days and Losar dates from 1900 to 2100.

How the Tibetan Phugpa calendar works

The Tibetan Phugpa calendar counts lunar months of 30 lunar days, each shorter than a civil day, so some day numbers are skipped or doubled. Losar, the Tibetan New Year, fell on 18 February 2026 (year 2153, Fire Horse) and falls on 7 February 2027 by Svante Janson's method.

The calculation

The tool applies the Phugpa formulas published by Svante Janson (Uppsala University, 2007, revised 2014). A leap month is inserted when the intercalation index is 48 or 49, and it comes before the regular month with the same number. Each lunar day's true date adds a moon equation to the mean date and subtracts a sun equation. A civil day takes the number of the lunar day that ends during it: if two lunar days end on the same day, the second number is skipped; if none ends, the number is doubled.

Checked example

18 February 2026 is day 1 of month 1 of year 2153, Male Fire Horse, year 40 of the 17th rabjung. The tool reproduces the published Losar dates from 2016 to 2026, including 5 February 2019 (a year that opens with a leap month) and 3 March 2022, and Saga Dawa (day 15 of month 4) on 4 June 2023, 23 May 2024 and 11 June 2025.

Upcoming Losar

  • 7 February 2027: Female Fire Sheep (2154).
  • 26 February 2028: Male Earth Monkey (2155).

Limits

Almanacs use 1/28 for the lunar anomaly; Edward Henning uses a more exact value that moves a few rare days. The Tsurphu calendar and Sherpa or Tamang Losar follow other rules.

Sources and related tools

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Losar 2027?

Losar 2027 falls on 7 February 2027 by the Phugpa calculation. It opens year 2154, Female Fire Sheep; Losar 2026 fell on 18 February.

Why is Losar not on Chinese New Year?

The two calendars place their leap months differently. In 2022 Chinese New Year fell on 1 February and Phugpa Losar on 3 March, one lunation later.

What is a skipped or doubled day?

A lunar day lasts about 0.98 of a civil day. When two lunar days end on the same civil day, one number disappears; when none ends, one number covers two days.

What is a rabjung?

It is the Tibetan 60-year cycle combining 5 elements and 12 animals. The 1st rabjung began in 1027 and the 17th in 1987; 2026 is its 40th year.

Is this tool really free?

Yes, all tools on Kristools are 100% free and accessible without registration.

Is my data protected?

Yes. All processing is performed directly and securely inside your browser. No personal data is sent to our servers.