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Asked by: Lakhvir Chandrasekharan
events and attractions birthdayWhy is the Chinese calendar different from ours?
Each month has the same number of days every year, except during leap years. The Chinese lunar calendar is, despite its name, a lunisolar calendar. It counts the length of time it takes for the moon to go around the Earth as a month, while still counting the time it takes for the Earth to go around the Sun as one year.
Beside this, what is the difference between the Chinese and Western calendar?
The Chinese calendar differs significantly from the Western calendar. The primary difference is that the months of the Chinese calendar are directly tied to the phases of the moon. These phases, however, do not fit in with the length of the year as measured by the Earth's revolution around the sun.
Regarding this, how does the Chinese calendar work?
The Chinese calendar is a Lunisolar calendar. That means it uses both the sun and moon to mark the years and festivals. A Lunisolar calendar calibrates solar and lunar years. Specific phases of the moon are used to determine the starting of months and seasons, as well as working out important new year festivals.
Although China uses the Gregorian (global) calendar for most official and business purposes, the Chinese calendar is still used to determine the days of traditional festivals, such as Chinese New Year and Mid-Autumn.