The lunar calendar, also known as the lunar calendar, is a calendar based on the cycle of the moon's phases. The origin of the lunar calendar can be traced back to ancient times, when people's lives were mainly based on agriculture, and the waxing and waning of the moon was closely related to agricultural activities. As a result, people began to record time according to the change in the phases of the moon and took the waxing cycle of the moon as the length of the year.
According to archaeological findings, the lunar calendar first appeared in the Yellow River valley more than 3,000 years BC. At the time, a complete lunar phase cycle was called a "synodic month", which was about 2953 days. In order to bring the lunar calendar into line with the solar calendar, people add a "leap month" every 2 or 3 years so that the average length of the lunar calendar is in line with the average length of the solar calendar.
The lunar calendar was widely used in ancient China and gradually became the representative of the traditional Chinese calendar. The lunar calendar is not only used to record time, but also closely related to people's daily life, production activities, and religious beliefs. For example, traditional festivals such as the Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival are determined according to the lunar calendar.
The development of the lunar calendar in ancient China went through many stages. In the Xia Dynasty, people adopted the "Xia calendar", with the month of Yin as the first year. In the Shang Dynasty, people adopted the "Yin calendar", with December as the first year of the year. In the Zhou Dynasty, people adopted the "Zhou calendar", with November as the beginning of the year. In the Han Dynasty, people adopted the "Taichu calendar", with the Yin month as the beginning of the year, and incorporated the 24 solar terms into the calendar.
With the development of the times, the lunar calendar gradually merged with the solar calendar to form a lunisolar calendar. The current lunar calendar is a representative of this lunisolar calendar. The lunar calendar is based on the waxing and waning cycle of the moon, supplemented by the annual movement cycle of the sun, and incorporates the 24 solar terms into the calendar.
The lunar calendar is the traditional calendar of the Chinese nation, with a long history and profound cultural connotations. It is not only a tool for people to record time, but also an important part of the Chinese culture.
Explore hardcore knowledge