Chinese New Year 2012 - Year of the Dragon

Chinese calendar. Chinese calendar has been in continuous use for centuries, which predates the International Calendar (based on the Gregorian Calendar) we use at the present day, which goes back only some 430 years. The calendar measures time, from short durations of minutes and hours, to intervals of time measured in months, years and centuries, entirely based on the astronomical observations of the movement of the sun, the moon and the stars.
When is the Chinese New Year's Day in Year 2012?
Jenuary 23, 2012 is the first day of the Chinese new year.

There are three ways to name a Chinese year:
1). By an animal. This year is known as the Year of the Dragon. There are 12 animal names. So by this system, year names are re-cycled every 12 years.
2). By its Formal Name (Stem-Branch). The new year is the year of RenChen. In the 'Stem-Branch' system, the years are named in 60-year cycles, and the Name of the Year is repeated every 60 years. 2012 is the 29h year in the current 60-year cycle.
3). It is Year 4709 by the Chinese calendar.

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