The lunar calendar has been used for thousands of years. Today the traditional Chinese festivals are still lunar calendar festivals. The lunar calendar originated in the Chinese ancient dynasties. The current calendar was created during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty in 104 BC. This calendar, which was called the taichu calendar, is the same lunar calendar as the one used nowadays. Each year in the lunar calendar is named after an animal. For example, 2012 was the“year of the dragon”. There are 12 animals. Every 12 years the cycle repeats itself.
农历（lunar calendar）已使用了数千年。今天，我们依然用农历来表示中国的传统节日。农历由中国古代的朝代衍生而来。现今使用的农历形成于公元前104年，汉朝汉武帝（Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty）统治时期。该农历被称为太初历（taichu calendar），跟今天使用的农历是一样的。农历中的每一年都以一种动物来命名，如2012年是“龙年”。共有12种动物，每12年循环一次。
