Updated 2026-06-25

The 16th Lunar Day in the Tibetan Calendar

What the 16th day of the Tibetan-Mongolian lunar month is traditionally held to mean — its character, its observances, and what cutting your hair on it is said to bring. tradition · medium confidence

The 16th lunar day is a waning-moon day (day 1 of the dark fortnight). In zurkhai, the lunar day is one of the main inputs used to decide whether a given date is favourable for an undertaking such as travel, a business opening or a medical treatment.

Cutting hair on the 16th lunar day

Tibetan-Mongolian almanacs assign every lunar day a specific result for cutting hair. The 16th day is traditionally said to lead "to obstacles" — unfavourable for a haircut. (The first day of life, by contrast, and several waning days are avoided.) The Zurkhai app shows this haircut reading for every day of the year, so you never have to count lunar days by hand.

The 16th day in the month

Across the lunar month, virtue is concentrated on the holy days — the 8th (Medicine Buddha), 10th (Guru Rinpoche), 15th (full moon), 25th (dakini) and 30th (new moon) — when the fruits of action are traditionally said to multiply. The 16th day follows the full moon, in the waning fortnight.

When the 16th lunar day falls — upcoming dates

The 16th lunar day recurs about once a lunar month. Here are its next dates in the Tibetan-Mongolian calendar, each carrying its own day-sign — the animal and element of the 60-day cycle:

Dates follow the Phukpa-school lunar calendar; a lunar day is occasionally doubled or skipped, so spacing varies.

Frequently asked

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Traditional belief, for reference — not advice. Day meanings and haircut results vary by lineage and almanac.