But then why do the Chinese celebrate their New Year so late? The Chinese New Year does not coincide with the New Year in the Gregorian calendar (introduced by the Pope Gregor XIII in the 16th century) because China has its own traditional calendar. This so called Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. Even though the Chinese also use the Gregorian calendar nowadays the traditional calendar is still used to calculate the traditional Chinese holidays, like for example Chinese New Year. By the way, the Chinese New Year takes place at the same time as the beginning of spring and I was told several times that there can be no Chinese New Year without rain. The Chinese New Years celebrations last for 15 days (considering two days for New Year in Germany) but people start preparations for the festivities days before: They tidy and clean their houses to get rid of evil spirits, finish business that has not been finished yet and prepare food for New Years Eve.
Chinese New Year and Field Trip to Singkawang
