Next week is year 4708 in Chinese lunar calendar

January 26, 2011 | Posted by Vicky

Firmly rooted in the lore of Chinese astrology, the Chinese lunar calendar is the traditional calendar of China and many Asian countries. Chinese New Year, which takes place next week on February 2, and all other traditional Chinese holidays are based on the lunar calendar. The next upcoming year in the calendar is the Year of the Rabbit, year 4708.

Evolution of the Chinese lunar calendar

The Chinese calendar has a long history. It is often referred to as the Xia Calendar, the earliest calendar in China, which was established in China's Xia Dynasty (2224 BC-1766 BC). Or it may be called the Agricultural Calendar, the Yin Calendar, or the Old Calendar, all of them taking their names from different times in Chinese history.

The main distinction between the Chinese lunar calendar and the modern day Gregorian calendar -- named for Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 -- is that the Chinese calendar is based on the movements of the moon, and the Gregorian calendar is based on the movements of the sun.

Calendars in China

In modern China, the Gregorian solar calendar has been adopted as the official calendar and is used for all day-to-day activities. But the Chinese calendar is still used for marking traditional holidays such as the Spring Festival, the Dragon Boat day, the Mid-Autumn Festival, and in astrology, such as selecting an auspicious date for a wedding or a proper day for a funeral.

Calendars compared

In the table, it is clear that the lunar calendar has a linear progression starting from very ancient times -- about 4708 years ago to be exact -- while the Gregorian calendar starts from the ostensible birth of Jesus.