Science is Fun Fridays!

 

Today is the Lunar New Year - Year of the Ox.

The lunisolar calendar is traditional to many east Asian countries including China, South Korea, and Vietnam.

Each time the moon moves into a line with the sun and the earth, a new month begins.  When the full moon appears, it is the middle of the month.

Li Chun, the beginning of the Spring, is the first solar term and the first lunar month.  This date varies between January 20th and February 20th.  (See upper right side in above chart).

The lunar calendar dates back to the Xia and Shang Dynasties, around the 16th century BC.  One was found in Scotland, which has been dated to 8000 BC.  Even before calendars, ancient hunters were no doubt observing the moon phases for time-measuring.

The lunar calendar is also used to determine religious holidays such as Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew), Buddha's Birthday (Buddhist), Diwali (Hindu), and Ramadan (Islamic).

The Gregorian calendar most commonly used today is a solar calendar, but it evolved from a Greek lunar calendar system.