Chinese Calendar

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

Chinese calendar
The Chinese calendar (like the Jewish and Islamic calendars is a lunar calendar. It is divided into 12 months of 29 or 30 days (compensating for the lunar month's mean duration of 29 days, 12 hr, 44.05 min).
This calendar is synchronized with the solar year by the addition of extra months at fixed intervals.
The Chinese calendar runs on a 60-year cycle. The cycles 1876-1935 and 1936-95, with the years grouped under their 12 animal designations, are printed below, along with the first 24 years of the current cycle. This cycle began in 1996 and will last until 2055. Feb. 9, 2005, marks the beginning of the year 4703 in the Chinese calendar, and is designated the Year of the Rooster. Readers can find the animal name for the year of their birth in the chart below. (Note: The first 3-7 weeks of each Western year belong to the previous Chinese year and animal designation.)
Both the Western (Gregorian) and traditional lunar calendars are used publicly in China and in North and South Korea, and 2 New Year's celebrations are held. In Taiwan, in overseas Chinese communities, and in Vietnam, the lunar calendar is used only to set the dates for traditional festivals, with the Gregorian system in general use.
The new moon in the Far East, which is west of the International Date Line, may be a day later than the new moon in the U.S. The festivals may start, therefore, anywhere between Jan. 21 and Feb. 19 of the Gregorian calendar.

By Sharad Chandra Shukla

[Edit by="sshukla on Dec 29, 12:18:50 AM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

Speaking of Chinese calendar, both my paternal and maternal grandmother would use the various zodiac animal symbols to make mental calculations about the friends I would bring home. Whenever I would bring a new friend, the first question is always "What year were you born?" Then they would calculate what animal he/she would be, what element (depending on the hour of your birth) and whether that person will be my friend or foe. It was as simple as that. One of my best friend still talks about the day she decided to get a belly-button ring, only to find her mother forcing her to take it off, days after her piercing. Mom's reason: My friend was born in the year of the metal element and since she was also the year of the Boar (sign of purity and money), the excess outside "metal" prevented her chi from flowing freely within her. Although my friend is not a believer, she is convinced that her current monetary prosperity resulted after removing that belly ring. Go figure.

[Anonymous]

Since China is heavily into the export buisiness, I wonder how their calender synchronize with the countries they trade with. The credit cards have a due date at all times. Would their dates be compatible with the due dates given for shipments to be able to coincide with the countries importing from China? My students' research brought them into the understanding that this year is the year of the Rat. They want to know if it means a good year for the Chinese or is it a Bad year?

[Anonymous]

Like all superstitions, it depends on how much you believe in them. In my family, my Chinese parents could care less about dates, times, etc. I do know some family members who follow these calendar and time systems more. It's just like the horoscopes. Some people think they really are representative of people's traits. Others think it's bogus.

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