Today marks the first day of the New Year in the traditional Chinese calendar
and in many other cultures throughout Asia.
In China, today marks the beginning of the Year of the Rabbit.
In Vietnam, it marks the beginning of the Year of the Cat.
The traditional Chinese calendar is not based purely on a lunar calendar
but is a combination of a lunar and solar calendar, otherwise known as a lunisolar
calendar.
For example, it is no coincidence that today corresponds with New Moon.
The evolution of this calendar makes for fascinating reading and there is an
extensive Wikipedia article about it here -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_calendar
The seemingly complex relations between the cycles of the sun and moon
were revised over time as astronomical knowledge in China grew.
Originally, the complex rules of the calendar were made by observation and later,
as knowledge grew, by calculation.
Happy New Year to all those celebrating the start of the Year of the Rabbit or
the Year of the Cat!
