Chinese calendars have been around since 2600 BC. This makes the Chinese New Year the longest record of time in history. In fact, it is even the largest chronological record. It began when Emperor Huang Ti first introduced the cycle of the zodiac, which is still in place today. The Chinese calendar is actually quite similar to the Western calendar. Known specifically as the Chinese Lunar Calendar, it is a yearly record of time. As the name suggests, it is based on the cycles of the moon.

The Gregorian calendar measures time by months. The Chinese calendar does as well, but in different ways. Moreover, it is more concerned with the passage of years. This calendar runs in cycles of twelve year periods. Each of those years is represented by a particular animal. Buddha named those animals as a reward for their coming to say good bye to him when he left the earth.

The Chinese zodiac is heavily linked to the Chinese calendar. The animals that are named after each month in the Chinese zodiac have been said to have an influence on people that were born in those years; for instance, a person with the dog Chinese zodiac tends to be very loyal.

A huge portion of the overall population of the world are Chinese. That leaves many people following the Chinese calendar and celebrating the Chinese New Year. However, Chinese people do not follow the calendar entirely. They use the Gregorian calendar as well. The Lunar calendar is used only for planning the festivals celebrated by the Chinese, such as the new year.

Modern science has definitely affected the Chinese calendar in many different ways. This particular calendar is based around the cycles of the moon and the longitude of the sun, so you can see how transforming this piece of history into something science-related could do nothing but help it.

Many people know that whenever a brand new moon starts, it usually means the start of a new month, but many of the Western states do not follow this, rather they go by numbers. The Lunar calendar on the other hand was designed around the cycles of the moon and the longitude of the sun.

A few things to keep in mind when you are dealing with Chinese Calendars; each year represents one animal, although in 2009, the year of the Ox occurs. This particular animal year only takes place every twelve years.