4
e Chinese Calendar
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.
○
● 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.
