Ha.....it's so chinese! We chinese do have our own Chinese Calendar, and our new year is not celebrate on the 1st January according to the Western Calendar, but falls on 18th February. (Confused yet?) In China, the traditional calendar is known as the "agricultural calendar" (農曆 nónglì, 农历), while the Gregorian calendar is known as the "common calendar" (公曆 gōnglì, 公历), or "Western calendar" (西曆 xīlì, 西历).
The Chinese calendar (農曆 nónglì) is a lunisolar calendar whose date indicates both the moon phase and the time of the solar year.
Every year, we chinese label the year according to the Chinese Zodiac which made up by the Twelve animals (十二生肖 shí'èr shēngxiào, or colloquially 十二屬相 shí'èr shǔxiàng) representing the twelve Earthly Branches are, in order, the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep (or goat), monkey, rooster, dog, and pig (or boar).
And I think this year is the "Piglet" year! (Tee hee hee.....it's true!) And I was born in the "sheep" year. (blahhhh blahhh.....black sheep) Don't we chinese just have our own "interesting" way!? Wish you all a Happy Chinese New Year!
