Happy Lunar New Year

Happy New Year - Well, Lunar New Year... Which is also called the "Chinese New Year". This is the "Year of the Dog", or the year 4703-4704 on the Chinese calendar. The Chinese calendar is based on the "lunar" or moon based cycle rather than the "solar" or sun based cycle that our calendar is based on. A lunar year is comprised of 12 cycles of the moon, or from "new moon" to "new moon". A pure lunar calendar uses 12 cycles of the moon, and each day of the month is a specific "phase" of the moon. This type of lunar calendar is not very practical because there are slightly more than 12 lunar cycles in an actual year. This means that from lunar year to lunar year the seasons shift and happen in different months, than they have in earlier years. As a matter of fact this shift requires the addition of another lunar month every 33 years in to keep the seasons in line. A calendar that uses this combination of lunar (phases of the moon) and solar (sun based seasons) activities is called a "lunisolar" calendar. The Chinese calendar is considered a lunisolar calendar. So get out your firecrackers, and red clothes to scare off the evil spirits, and celebrate the start of the new year!