Why Is Everyone Looking
For A Chinese Calendar?

Why is Chinese astrology so popular, and why do so many people want a Chinese calendar?

That's the questions I asked myself numerous times after doing more than a fair share of eye watering, late night, caffeine induced calendar research.

It was driving me crazy too. What I realized was that - it was no longer who wanted a Chinese calendar, but...

Who didn't want one!

Sheesh. What were those Chinese emperors on about?

From (Crusty) Demon To Dynasty

Let's see... take some Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism, add a healthy dose of dragons, giant fish, mythical birds, crusty demons and a great flood or two...

Chinese 2011 Wall Calendar

And sit back and watch as it fuses into a whole new Dynasty.

Anyway - we know the Chinese were on to something good.

Maybe the fact that China is one of the world's oldest continuous civilizations, or that their history dates way back to the 16th century BC, might have something to do with it.

And, if you like history, you'd be happy to know Homo erectus was inhabiting mainland China more than a million years ago too.

You may recall a specimen called 'Peking Man?' Same family.

These advanced dudes went on to evolve rapidly from hunter gatherers to farmers.

And they might even turn out to be world leaders in the very near future too.

And in case you're curious...

What Is The Chinese Calendar?

Here's my (stand to be corrected) version of it:

The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar. It contains elements of a lunar calendar (the moon phases) and a solar calendar (the time of the solar year). Not just exclusive to China, this calendar is used by many other Asian cultures.

Spirit Of China 2011 Calendar

It is often referred to as the Chinese calendar because it was first perfected by the Chinese around 500 BC. (14th century BC)

In most of East Asia today, the Gregorian calendar (also known as the Western calendar or the Christian calendar, the internationally accepted calendar) is used for daily activities.

However the Chinese-calendar is still used for marking traditional East Asian holidays and festivals.

Other worldwide Chinese communities use this calendar for festivities such as the Chinese New Year, the Duan Wu festival and Mid-Autumn Festival too.

Not to mention in astrology too, such as choosing auspicious dates for weddings or the opening of a building.

In the Chinese lunarsolar calendar, each month follows one cycle of the moon, so it is also used to determine the phases of the moon. It's based on exact astronomical observations of the longitude of the sun and the phases of the moon and is divided into 12 months of 29 or 30 days.

The calendar is adjusted to the length of the solar year by the addition of extra months at regular intervals.

How Can Chinese Astrology Help You?

Not quite China, but still fun!

Well, when you dive into Chinese astrology you're really touching on the experience of life.

A few hundred years of life experience - plus opium wars, long marches and way too much more to mention here.

You'll discover a lot of this life experience in Chinese calendars, even though nowadays they are more used for marking traditional Chinese holidays, such as the Chinese New Year.

And those years make for calendars that never cease to amaze us.

Not to mention calendars that are pretty helpful too.

Chinese Animal Signs And Personalities

According to Chinese astrology, the animal ruling the year in which you were born has quite a profound influence on your life.

Look for your birth date below to find out which Chinese sign you are:

Rat	1924	1936	1948	1960	1972	1984	1996	2008
Ox	1925	1937	1949	1961	1973	1985	1997	2009
Tiger	1926	1938	1950	1962	1974	1986	1998	2010
Rabbit	1927	1939	1951	1963	1975	1987	1999	2011
Dragon	1928	1940	1952	1964	1976	1988	2000	2012
Snake	1929	1941	1953	1965	1977	1989	2001	2013
Horse	1930	1942	1954	1966	1978	1990	2002	2014
Sheep (Goat)	1931	1943	1955	1967	1979	1991	2003	2015
Monkey	1932	1944	1956	1968	1980	1992	2004	2016
Rooster	1933	1945	1957	1969	1981	1993	2005	2017
Dog	1934	1946	1958	1970	1982	1994	2006	2018
Pig (Boar)	1935	1947	1959	1971	1983	1995	2007	2019