how do they know it's chinese new year?

Question

i think its associated wth the moon

Answer 1

Ok wikipedia to the rescue again.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_new_year#New_Year_dates

"This year's Lunar New Year is on February 18. It is the year of the pig[1]. The Chinese New Year dates are determined by the lunisolar Chinese calendar, which is also used in countries that have adopted or have been influenced by Han culture, notably the Koreans, the Japanese, the Filipinos, the Tibetans, the Thai, the Vietnamese and the pagan Bulgars.

Chinese New Year starts on the first day of the new year containing a new moon (some sources include New Year's Eve) and ends on the Lantern Festival fourteen days later. This occurs around the time of the full moon as each lunation is about 29.53 days in duration. In the Gregorian calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on different dates each year, on a date between January 22 and February 20. This means that the holiday usually falls on the second (very rarely third) new moon after the winter solstice. In traditional Chinese Culture, Lichun is a solar term marking the start of spring, which usually falls on either February 4 or 5....."

Answer 2

I think it is an ancient chinese secret

Answer 3

yah.. i wonder about that too.. but those ancient people sure know how to calculate the dates. i don't think we would know if they were to make a mistake. haha.