A Curious Look At The
Chinese New Year Calendar

Keen to find a Chinese new year calendar?

The Chinese new year is the longest and most important festivity in the Lunar calendar.

This is because it celebrates the Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year, marking the first day of the New Year in the Chinese calendar.

With celebrations lasting for 15 days, this event is celebrated in Chinese communities throughout the world.

Celebration traditions include offerings to deities, new clothes, house cleaning, banquets, gatherings and fireworks.

You can follow the festivities by making sure you have your own Chinese calendar!

Celebrating The Lunar New Year

Red is a typical celebration color and people go out of their way to avoid saying anything negative that might signify death, sickness or poverty.

Looks like a Chinese boar to me

The festivities include beautiful lantern festivals and dances performed by human dragons and lions made from silk, paper and bamboo.

The Chinese new year is not a public holiday in the United States, so finding a Chinese new year calendar can be a challenge, especially when you need it to contain regular US holidays.

Chinasprout.com is a provider of Chinese cultural and educational products who put out a wonderful calendar called From China with Love.

This popular new year calendar sells year after year and features both American and Chinese holidays including facts about Chinese customs.

From China With Love

The nice part about this calendar is that proceeds go toward funding a charity for Chinese children who are in orphanages.

No turning over please

It also helps fund Chinese cultural heritage education for US families with children from China.

Each month of the From China with Love calendar shows photographs of beautiful and happy children who were all fortunate to be adopted.

They also have other wonderful Chinese calendar resources including a special origami calendar by Margaret Van Sicklen.

This particular calendar teaches you how to make an origami pig, panda bear, lily, or even a fabulous spinning helicopter or a five-tiered pagoda!

Other Chinese Calendars

Other Chinese/American calendars include a wall calendar featuring beautiful folk art that depicts life in the countryside. The days are written in both Chinese characters and western style numbers.

The Jinshan Peasant Painting Calendar offered by Chinasprout is another beautiful example of a Chinese new year calendar.

This one features the special Shanghai 2010 Expo and portrays paintings of the village during various seasons, mothers with children, animals in the fields and festive celebrations.

By the way, if you are late in celebrating the Chinese New Year, you can pick up a discounted 2008 Jinshan Peasant painting calendar for around $5.00. It comes with a cute pencil case, keychain and notepad in a special blue and silver boxed set.

Where can I get a Chinese calendar like this?