Hit Chinese New Year

[Sandra Haggstrom <FTSLH@AURORA.ALASKA.EDU>]

Here are the results.  Hope they came through this time.
From:     Geri Moulton
Subject:  Re: hit: chinese new year
From:     gmoulton@FREENET.COLUMBUS.OH.US

According to the American Book of Days, p.146 -". . . the Chinese people ...
continue to regard the date given in the old Chinese lunar calendar as the
beginning of the new year.  According to that calendar, the year has 354
days and 12 lunar months, about half of them with 30 days and the other
half with 29.  In order to make the months correspond with the movements
of the earth around the sun, a 13th month is inserted every two or three
years.  The new year begins on the new moon and may occur at any time from
January 21 to February 19."

Geri Moulton Beechcroft High School Library
gmoulton@freenet.columbus.oh.us
6100 Beechcroft Road
Columbus,Ohio 43329        614-365-6800

From:     Paula Hughart
Subject:  Re: target: Chinese New Year and tax groups
From:     phughart@OEMSUNIX.ONYSD.WEDNET.EDU

I checked in The World Almanace and Book of Facts 1994 which states that:
the Chinese New Year "begin[s] at the first new moon after the sun enters
Aquarius.  The day may fall, therefore, between Jan. 21 and Feb. 19 of
the Gregorian calendar."  It then gives the date for 1994's new year, so
if you have the 1995 edition it will surely give it.
Paula Hughart
Onalaska School District
Onalaska, WA  98570
phughart@onysd.wednet.edu

From:     Hollis Elementary School Library
Subject:  Chinese New Year
From:     librahes@MV.MV.COM

Sandra
The Chinese New Year begins on the date of the 2nd New Moon following the
Winter Solstice.  I found this info in a book at school.  I'm at home as
we have a snow day today so I can't give you the reference.  Hope this helps.
Nadine Clark
Hollis Elementary School
Hollis, NH 03049
e-mail:  librahes@mv.mv.com

From:     Joyce Conklin
Subject:  Re: target: Chinese New Year and tax groups
From:     jconkli@SMCOE-NS.ED.CO.SANMATEO.CA.US

Sandy -

That seems to be one thing not included in the Almanac. Probably the
algorithm is too complicated!

BTW, do you know about The Almaniac? It's a trivia contest run twice a
year, and based on the World Almanac. It's loads of fun, but I've never
been able to match my best rate (only 6 wrong out of 60+ ques.) which I
got early on in the competition. I thought I was going to be able to get
a really neat score on this last one cuz I was using the Almanac on CD
(Microsoft Bookcase) but I still missed 14! So it's not all that easy,
but still fun.

If you're interested, ask for information from:
The Almaniac
PO Box 53
La Canada, CA 91012

From:     klaffert
Subject:  Re: target: Chinese New Year and tax groups
From:     klaffert@PEN.K12.VA.US

Just saw the dates yesterday in a kids' magazine, and of course
have forgotten.  I do know that it lasts 15 days.  Starts
sometime around the end of the month.

Kathy Lafferty
Patrick Henry Ele. School
Alexandria, VA

#78 WSGRANT@ARTSCI.W*   Wed 11 Jan 1995  14:36:52  (  48/ 2370) U T

From:     William Sawyer Grant
Subject:  Chinese New Year
From:     wsgrant@ARTSCI.WUSTL.EDU

        Dear Ms. Haggstrom,

        My mother forwarded a copy of your message along to me from her
Va. Pen newsgroup.  Yes, Chinese New Year has _everything_ to do with the
moon.  The traditional Chinese calendar is a lunar-based calendar, with
roughly 12 months to the year (I say roughly because they add a month on
certain years, kind of like how we add an extra day for Leap Year).  This
is why the Chinese New Year celebration varies from year to year.
        I have never had to system fully explained to me myself, so I
cannot explain the whys and wherefores of how the calendar works
precisely for purposes of predicting the New Year date.  I can tell you,
however, that the first of every month happens on or just before the new
moon.  So an easy way to predict when the New Year will be in any given
year is to check when the next new moon occurs, usually anywhere from the
middle of January to the middle of February.
        I hope this helps and if I can be of further assistance, please
feel free to contact me via email.
.
Press RETURN to continue...

        Sincerely,

        Will Grant, Graduate Student
        Washington University in St. Louis, School of Law and
        Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, East Asian Studies Dept.

PS: Please feel free to post this to the discussion group.
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