Chinese Calendar

The Chinese calendar is lunisolar, incorporating elements of a lunar calendar with those of a solar calendar. It is not exclusive to China, but followed by many other Asian countries. It is often referred to as the Chinese calendar because it was first perfected by the Chinese around 500 BCE. In most of East Asia today, the Gregorian calendar is used for day to day activities, but the Chinese calendar is still used for marking traditional East Asian holidays such as the Chinese New Year (or Spring Festival), not to be confused with Lunar New Year, which is the beginning for several lunisolar calendars), the Duan Wu festival, and the Mid-Autumn Festival, and in astrology, such as choosing the most auspicious date for a wedding or the opening of a building. Because each month follows one cycle of the moon, it is also used to determine the phases of the moon. The Lunar calendar

of the New Moon, which is the first day of the new month. Secondly, the dates of any time when the sun's longitude is a multiple of 30 degrees must be calculatedThe Chinese calendar (like the Hebrew one) is a combination of solar and lunar calendars, meaning that it strives to have its years coincide with the tropical year and its months coincide with the synodic months. First, determine the dates for the new moons. In China, a new moon is the completely "black" moon, not the first visible crescent used in the Islamic and Hebrew calendars. The Lunar calendar is configured according to very exacting astronomical measurements relating to the longitude of the sun and the phases of the moon. It is a credit to the ancient Chinese astronomers that the principles

behind their calculations are based firmly in advanced principles of what is commonly referred to as modern science.To determine the calendar you must first determine to date. The calendar has links with natural sciences such as agriculture and astronomy, solar terms, the four seasons and traditional festivals such as the Spring Festival. There are links also with the 'Five Elements' of which the ancient Chinese believed the physical universe to be composed namely, metal, wood, water, fire and earth. Finally, of course, is sheng xiao - the symbolic animals associated with each year on a 12-year cycle.