Why Does Chinese New Year Fall On A Different Date Each Year?

I'm sure youve noticed that Chinese New Year falls on a different day each year.

Here's a list of Chinese New Year dates from the year to at http://www.living-chinese-symbols.com/chinese-new-year-dates.html

Why is this so?

I asked myself the same question and finally I figured it out.

Spring begins (, lchn) each year around Feb th (in the Western calendar).

The first day of Chinese New Year starts on the New Moon closest to spring.

(Thats why Chinese New Year is called the Spring Festival.)

And ends on the Full Moon days later with the Lantern Festival.

The first day of Chinese New Year is always between Jan st and Feb st.

But why are Chinese New Year dates so unpredictable?

To answer this question, one has to look at how a month in the Chinese calendar or lunar calendar is calculated.

A Chinese month yue which means moon is a REAL moon.

Each lunar month starts on the day of the new moon.

This is the day the moon is closest to the sun and not visible at all.

Does it mean that one has to look at the sky each time to tell the new moon?

Fortunately, the answer is no.

Otherwise there'll be a lot of stiff necks!

Because the new moon occurs with enough regularity to devise a calendar based on its phases.

(Full moon in the middle of the month. Moon wanes at the end of the month).

On average, each lunar month is . days.

(Sometimes the months are days and other times they are days.)

But multiplying . days by months gives days.

Which is days short of / days, the cycle of the four seasons.

Or days "faster" if you like.

So, how does the Chinese calendar wait for the natural world to catch up?

By adding an extra month to make a thirteen-month year.

Well, not every year but every few years.

How often? It turns out seven times every nineteen years.

In this way, the Chinese calendar year keeps in step with the real world.

Each year in the Chinese Calendar is also named after one of animals of the Chinese Zodiac.

Last year, was the year of the rooster and the year of the dog.

Go to http://www.living-chinese-symbols.com/chinese-new-year-dates.html for a chart of Chinese New Year dates from the year to you can use to tell which is your animal sign.

Its a cool system because you wont have to remember how old you are.

Youll just have to know which animal year you were born in!