Because the Chinese New Year Fall on a different date each year?

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

Here is a list of Chinese New Year dates from 2000 to 2014 to symbols.com http://www.living-chinese- / Chinese-new-year-dates.html

Why is that?

I asked myself the same question and I finally understood.

Spring begins (立春, lìchūn) every year around February 4 (in the Western calendar).

The first day of Chinese New Year begins the New Moon near the spring.

(That's why the Chinese New Year is called the Spring Festival.)

And he ends the Full Moon 15 days later with the Lantern Festival.

The first day of Chinese New Year is always between 21 January and 21 February.

But because the Chinese New Year dates so "unpredictable"?

To answer this question, it should be noted that a month in Chinese calendar or the lunar calendar is calculated.

A Chinese yue4 月 months, which means "moon" is a real moon.

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

This is the day when the moon is closest to the sun and not visible to everyone.

It means you should look at the sky every time to tell the new moon?

Fortunately, the answer is "no."

Otherwise there will be a lot of stiff neck!

Why the new moon occurs on a regular basis to work out a schedule based on stages.

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

On average, each lunar month is 29.5 days.

(Sometimes the months are 29 days and other times 30 days).

But multiply 29.5 days to 12 months by 354 days.

That is 11 days short of 365 1 / 4 days, the cycle of four seasons.

O 11 days "faster" if you like.

So, how does the Chinese calendar "waiting" for the natural world to achieve?

With the addition of an extra month to do a "year of thirteen months."

Well, not every year but every few years.

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

In this way, the Chinese calendar year to keep pace with the real world.

Each year in the Chinese calendar is also the name of one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac.

Last year, 2005 was the year of the rooster and 2006 the year of the dog.

Go to symbols.com http://www.living-chinese- / Chinese-new-year-dates.html for a table of the Chinese New Year dates from the year 1900-2019 can be used to say that is your animal sign.

It is a system of "cool" because you do not have to remember how old you are.

You'll just have to know what animal year you were born in!