Many people do not understand exactly what Chinese calendars really are, but to be honest, it is very close to the Western calendar, it has just been in place for longer. 2600 B.C is when the first Chinese calendar was introduced and it is the biggest chronological calendar on the books to date. Emperor Huang Ti was the person that discovered the cycle of the zodiac which the Chinese Lunar calendar centers itself around, basically, the moon cycle is what this particular calendar goes by.
One of the main differences between the Chinese and Western calendars is the naming of the years. Under the Lunar calendar, the twelve years are named after an animal. There is a legend which states that, before leaving the earth, Buddha had all of the animals come to them. However, only twelve came to say good bye to him. He rewarded them by naming a year after each one. They were named according to the order in which they arrived.
This is why the Chinese Animal zodiac and the calendar are interconnected. A lot of people believe that the year and animal in which you were born determines your personality. It can influence many aspects of your life.
A large part of the world’s population is Chinese. Clearly, a lot of people thus also follow the Chinese calendar. It is mainly used to determine when that culture’s celebrations, festivals, holidays, and special occasions occur. For everything else, the Chinese people actually follow the Gregorian calendar.
Modern science has definitely affected the Chinese calendar in many different ways. This particular calendar is based around the cycles of the moon and the longitude of the sun, so you can see how transforming this piece of history into something science-related could do nothing but help it.
Let us consider the phases of the moon first. They are extremely important. Under the Chinese calendar, the coming of the new moon means that a new month is starting. Conversely, the sun’s longitude helps to determine important periods of time - the Principal Terms.
Most people recognize this calendar because of the zodiac animals used. Those children who are born in 2009 will belong to the Ox. Those who were born in 1988 - twelve years ago - were also born under the sign of the Ox.
Tags: chinese animal zodiac, chinese calendars, chinese lunar calendar