The Chinese Calendar

● The Chinese Calendar is a lunar calendar because it is based on the phases of the moon.

● The origin of the Chinese Calendar... ■ Traced back to the 14th century B.C.E.■ It is based on observations of the sun and

moon phases.■ The most commonly used calendar in China.■ The new year occurs with the new moon every

12 lunar months.■ The inventor of the chinese calendar is

Emperor Huangdi.

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● The current year in the Chinese calendar is 4716.

● An interesting fact is the Chinese calendar is lunisolar. The months are lunar months. Since 12 lunar months are shorter than a solar year, an extra month must be added periodically.

● Another interesting fact is that the start of the Chinese New Year falls between January 21 and February 21 each year.

● The calendar is used in China and other Asian religions. The Chinese calendar is used for determining the dates of different festivals .

● In each cycle there are 60 days, 60 months, and 60 years.