The Chinese Calendar - Just for Lunatics?

You don't need to know everything about the Chinese calendar to have a fulfilling relationship with a Chinese person. Keep reading to understand why some dates (especially birthdays of your Chinese friends!) are different than you might think.

And if you enjoy more technical details, Mark wrote a very humorous and informative description of the Chinese calendar on his website about traveling in China.

Does August really mean October in Chinese?

There are a few things about the Chinese traditional calendar that once you do understand them - it will make life with your Chinese girlfriend smoother.

For instance, Chinese birthdays.

My girlfriend's official birthday on her passport is August 15. Even in my home country, her date of birth is August 15...at least on paper! In reality, she always celebrates her birthday in late September or early October!

Why?

Because many people in Chinese traditionally celebrate their birthday according to the Chinese lunar calendar. An August birthday in the Chinese calendar could translate to an October birthday in our calendar.

How does August become October?! Astonishing, isn't it?

The lunar calendar is similar to our common, modern calendar:

It has 12 months.
Chinese lunar calendar dates, when written as numbers, look the same as dates in our calendar.

In China, dates are written in the format: yyyy.mm.dd

For example, 2017.10.19

And in other ways it's completely different:

The start of each month matches up with the day of the New Moon.
Instead of a leap day every 4 years, there is an entire leap month every two or three years.

So you can see how some of the dates could translate way, way, way differently between the two systems. And how it varies greatly from year to year.

Although some people may want to do away with the Chinese lunar calendar and adopt the more common calendar that we are familiar with...chances are it's not going to happen anytime soon. Conducting business and many of the day-to-day activites in China are already scheduled according to the common modern calendar.

The Chinese traditional calendar is here to stay though. After all, most of the Chinese holidays (including the Chinese New Year) are all calculated using the Chinese calendar.

Not to mention the entire system of Chinese astrology is based on the lunar calendar. If you want to know your animal sign, you need to consult with the Chinese traditional calendar.

And to top it off, anytime you want to select the luckiest date for a wedding, party or grand opening of a new business, you always plan using the Chinese calendar.

If the Chinese discovered a way to fix the birthday of their babies, everyone would have a lucky number in their date of birth!

About dates in Chinese:

Many Chinese festivals and holidays fall on different dates each year. Actually, it's the same date every year on the Chinese calendar, but on our calendar it's different.

So whether you want to celebrate Chinese Valentine's Day, Chinese New Year or the Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival, check the Chinese calendar to find out when to party.
Your Chinese girlfriend's birthday might be on a different day also.
It all depends, because some Chinese people choose to celebrate their birthday according to the common modern calendar. Some Chinese people stick to the Chinese lunar calendar.
In my experience, she sticks to tradition.

So when you ask your girlfriend when her birthday is, don't assume it will be the same day on the following year. Ask her.
Believe her if she says her birthday is a different day than what her ID card says. Give her the benefit of the doubt, because she's probably being truthful with you. Her Chinese ID and her Chinese passport are based on the Chinese traditional calendar...even though the date looks like a regular calendar date.

In fact, some Chinese people may even add a year to their age.

Why?

Because of the time they spent in their mother's womb. That counts too!

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