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2023 Chinese New Year Calendar
What Is the Chinese New Year Calendar?
A Chinese New Year Calendar is a conventional chart of days and months that belong to a certain year used to define cycles of changing seasons.
Alternate Names:
- Chinese New Year Animal Calendar;
- Chinese New Year Zodiac Calendar.
In ancient times, there was a deeper meaning to this calendar - people selected the most suitable dates to predict the gender of the baby, get married, build new homes, move into new houses, or farm; while these traditions are largely left in the past, societal arrangements are impacted by the Chinese calendar - it is necessary to define the dates for traditional festivities. It combines the aspects of different calendar cycles - while the phase of the moon influences the chart, the followers of the calendar also take into account the position of the sun in the sky.
You may download a Chinese New Year Calendar through the link below.
How Does the Chinese New Year Calendar Work?
Learn more about the Chinese New Year Calendar if you are interested in the rituals and myths Chinese people attribute to their main holiday:
- Although even in China it is appropriate to adhere to western standards and calculate the years the way the rest of the world does it, the significance of the Chinese Calendar New Year has not been lost. It allows people to observe local holidays and arrange festivals - this way, the customs of the Chinese nation are passed from generation to generation. Note that to fix the discrepancy between the calendar that serves as an international standard people that follow the Chinese calendar have decided to add one more month every three years.
- At first glance, a Chinese calendar looks very similar to the western one since it comprises twelve months. Every month is given a number and it begins with the new moon (when it is completely black and not a visible crescent) and lasts 28 days - the calendar ends with the last month of winter. The months were initially named after natural events that occurred that month. Every year lasts around 353-355 days (with the exception of the leap year - 383-385 days).
- There is no predetermined date for the Chinese New Year - generally, it starts on the second moon that comes after the winter solstice. The first day of the year means the beginning of spring - this is why it is also called a Spring Festival. This holiday lasts sixteen days, and every day has particular importance for people that live in China and Chinese diasporas from all over the world.
- Chinese New Year Animal Calendar follows a cycle of twelve years - every year is closely associated with a particular animal symbol. If you are born under a certain sign, your qualities are determined by it - for instance, a person born in the year of the rabbit is associated with inner strength, politeness, and thoughtfulness. The same animals are often used to describe the months and even hours of the day.
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