Chinese New Year Calendar

Get hold of a Chinese New Year Calendar if you follow the customs, rituals, events and festivals as celebrated in China and other countries in accordance with the Chinese astrology.

The calendar is a luni-solar calendar, meaning that the events and important dates of the calendar are determined by the cycle of the Moon and reflection of the various phases of the Moon. It is often referred to as ‘Yin Calendar’ or ‘Old Calendar’ and it is followed in several other countries other than China. The calendar is used widely for various purposes and one of the major reasons is to find out the holidays and important events that are celebrated in the Chinese culture.

People following the Chinese culture consider the Chinese calendar as importance source of finding the traditional Chinese Holidays and East Asian Festivals. Some of major important festivals are the Chinese New Year, Duan Wu festival and people eagerly wait to get the New Year Calendar in order to mark the important dates on which their religious and social events fall.

A calendar also helps one determine when to fix significant events as most events of life, whether pertaining to professional or personal life are observed only on auspicious dates. Marriage, ceremony relating to the birth of a baby, opening of a store and all relevant events are generally fixed only after determining the auspicious dates on which the movement of the Moon and planets are favorable.

Relevant Facts of Chinese calendar

There are 12 months in a Chinese calendar, with each month consisting of 29 days or 30 days. New cycle of the moon shapes up the each month and hence all the events in a particular month are determined by the various phases of the Moon. The calendar is based on the traditional Chinese astrology and differs from the modern Gregorian calendar as followed in most Western countries. Resultantly, the festivals as celebrated in accordance with the Chinese New Year Calendar fall on a different date each year when compared against the modern day calendar.

Chinese New Year also falls on a different date of the year as plotted against the modern day Gregorian New Year celebrated in most countries. The date is determined as per the cycle of the Moon and hence the New Year can fall anywhere between January-end to the mid-February. Each year as per the Chinese calendar is named after an animal and every animal get their turn only after every 12 years. A major cycle of 60 years is completed when five cycles of 12 years dedicated to 12 animal signs are over.

Chinese Festival Calendar

Annual Chinese calendar come marked with major festivities and events as celebrated in the Chinese culture. Most important festivals are the New Year's Day, Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, May Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day. These events are celebrated with much pomp and fanfare. Each of the festival as marked in the calendar carries their own significance. While some are declared as public holidays, there are quite a few ones in which private and public offices continue to remain open but small get-togethers and gatherings to celebrate these events are carried out every year.

The major seven festivals are celebrated across China and other parts of the world too where Chinese culture and Chinese calendar is followed. People go on vacations only after finding out the important days of festivities that are marked in a Chinese calendar. Hence, getting a calendar with all relevant Chinese festivals and events marked is also important for a person to plan holidays in advance.

When in China or in any region following the Chinese culture, a person would have to refer to the Chinese calendar to note the festivities celebrated in a year. There are a few important events marked in a Chinese calendar when full-day offs are not allowed but officials are given a half-day leave to commemorate significant political, religious, historical and social events influencing the Chinese culture. Some of these days when only a half-day off can be observed includes Women's Day, Children's Day, Youth Day, and Army Day of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. Besides, there are other festivities for which no off days are granted like the International Arbor Day, Teachers' Day, Anniversary of the Founding of the Chinese Communist Party, Nurses' Day and Journalists' Day.