The Muslims follow the Hijri calendar. The first month is Muharram, which beings to be sighting of the moon. However, there comes a difference of ten days each year because the moon completes its revolution round the earth in shorter time than the sun.
The Hindus celebrate the seasons and their festivals are connected with seasons of the year like spring, harvest time or the beginning of the rain.
The Christian calendar (Gregorian Calendar) always starts on the 1st of January and ends on the 31st of December each year.
Although the Chinese follow the English calendar as do all other people in the world. But according to the old Chinese traditions, they have a cycle of twelve years which is followed in the Chinese society only.
Each year is given the name of one of these animals: rat, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, chicken, dog and tortoise. This cycle is completed in twelve years and then starts again. For example, if 1988 was the dragon year, the next year, that is, 1989 would be the snake year and so on.
