«What Does the Chinese Year Look Like?
The Chinese calendar - like the Hebrew - is a combined solar/lunar calendar in that it strives to have its years coincide with the tropical year and its months coincide with the synodic months. It is not surprising that a few similarities exist between the Chinese and the Hebrew calendar:
An ordinary year has 12 months, a leap year has 13 months.
An ordinary year has 353, 354, or 355 days, a leap year has 383, 384, or 385 days.»
The Chinese Calendar | Calendars
http://www.webexhibits.org/calendars/calendar-chinese.html
Best Regards,
RRW
2 comments:
And they use the Metonic cycle -- 7 leap months every 19 years. They're not at the same point in the cycle we are. The Chinese New Year is the first day of their equivalen to Nissan, so it is always either the first day of Adar, Adar II, or Nisan.
Other tidbit, less about the Chinese calendar in particular:
The Chinese calendar day changes at dawn, when light begins, and their year begins the first day of Spring.
Similarly the Jewish day for Temple purposes, and the New Year when referring to our nationhood. BUT, the day and year for most purposes are when we're beginning the dark: a new day begins at sunset, and the New Year in the fall.
The Western day and year on in the depths of darkness -- midnight, and appx the shortest day of the year.
I don't have any sound theories as to why, but that can't be coincidence. It must say something about how each community relates to time.
Anyway: Gung hay fat choi!
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