by Christine G.

Created on: December 21, 2007   Last Updated: January 02, 2012

Year 4709 of the traditional Chinese calendar will begin on January 23, 2012, initiating the two-week-long Spring Festival which is the most important celebration of the year. The year to come will be designated by its formal name Zen Chen (water dragon), the thirteenth year of a 60-year cycle, and the "Year of the Dragon", based on the 12-year astrological cycle.

Even though China adopted the Western calendar in 1911, the traditional New Year observations continue.

The Chinese New Year is the second New Moon after the winter solstice (the shortest day of the year). This combination of solar and lunar calendar allow the new year to be precisely calculated backward or forward for thousands of years, but it is confusing for those who follow the solar calendar. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days, and cannot be synchronized with the solar year. The Chinese calendar usually has 12 months in the year, rounded off to 29 or 30 days 354 days in total. The new moon is always on the first day of the month, and the full moon on the fifteenth. In order to "catch up" with the solar calendar the Chinese insert an extra month once every few years (seven years out of a 19-year cycle), the way Western societies add an extra day on leap year. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year. Depending on the "age" of the moon on Winter Solstice, the second new moon could arrive anywhere from 30 to 59 days later. The Chinese New Year can fall as early as January 21 and as late as February 19.

The Rat leads off the astrological cycle of years. According to Chinese legend, the twelve animals asked the gods to decide the order of their years. The gods held a swimming contest across a river.  When the animals jumped into the river, the rat jumped on the back of the ox, who swam strongly and was the first to arrive at the opposite bank. Before he could climb out of the water, the rat jumped off his back and won the race. The pig, who was very lazy, ended up last.

Chinese New Year has been celebrated for over 2000 years. According to an ancient legend, people were tormented by a large-mouthed beast called Nian, who could devour several people in a single gulp. When an old man tricked the beast into disappearing, a great celebration followed, and was repeated every year. People believed that Nian was afraid of the colour red, of fires, and of loud noises, so these elements have played an important

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