Chinese Lunar Calendar and Zodiac _ Facts and Details

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CHINESE LUNAR CALENDAR AND ZODIAC | Facts and Details

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CHINESE LUNAR CALENDAR AND ZODIAC CHINESE LUNAR CALENDAR AND ZODIAC Origin of Chinese Lunar Calendar Imperial Chinese Calendar Birthdays, Auspicious Days and Years in China Bad Years and Leap Months in China Chinese Zodiac Chinese Zodiac Year Animals Rabbits Dragons Dragon Year 2012 More Chinese Zodiac Animals Yet More Chinese Zodiac Animals

CHINESE LUNAR CALENDAR AND ZODIAC The Chinese calendar is divided into 12 lunar months of 29 or 30 days (an astronomical lunar month is 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 5 seconds). The lunar months begin at the new moon. The full moon ideally falls on the 15th day of the month but often doesn t. A year of 12 lunar months is 354 days long. So the seasons do't get out of wack, an extra month is inserted every three years or so according to strict rules. Both Gregorian and Chinese calendars are used in China and Korea, both of which celebrate two New Years one on January 1st and one on the Chinese New Year in February. The Chinese calendar was not formally abandoned by the state until 1912 and is still used by in the countryside and used

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Ancient Chinese zodiac

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nationwide to set teh dates of holidays. In Taiwan and Vietnam, the Chinese calendar is only used to set the days of holidays. Japan does't use the Chinese lunar calendar. New Years Day is celebrated on January 1st. The years themselves are organized into 60-year calendar cycles: five times the 12-year Chinese zodiac cycle. The current 60-year cycle extends from 1996 to 2055. The last one lasted from 1936 to 1995. The traditional Chinese calendar merges the 12-animal Chinese zodiac with the five basic elements (water, fire, metal, earth and wood) so that you can gave have a year of the metal rooster or fire pig that run on a 6 year cycle. The year 2004 was the year the of the wood money, the previous woodmonkey year was in 1944 the next one is in 2064. Good Websites and Sources: Chinese Calendar PaulNoll.com PaulNoll.com (http://www.paulnoll.com/China/Zodiac/index.html) ; Mathematics of Chinese Calendar math.nus.edu (http://www.math.nus.edu.sg/aslaksen/calendar/chinese.shtml) ; Wikipedia article on Chinese Calendar Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_calendar) ; Chinese Astrology 12 Zodiac 12zodiac.com (http://12zodiac.com/index.shtml) ; Chinatown Connection on Astrology Chinatown Connection (http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese-astrology.htm ) ; Chinatown Connection on the China Zodiac Chinatown Connection (http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese_zodiac.htm) ; Wikipedia article on Chinese Astrology Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_astrology) Links in this Website: FOLK RELIGION IN CHINA Factsanddetails.com/China (http://factsanddetails.com/china/cat3/sub8/item85.html) ; MYSTICISM AND SUPERSTITION IN CHINA Factsanddetails.com/China (http://factsanddetails.com/china/cat3/sub14/item100.html) ; SYMBOLS AND LUCKY NUMBERS IN CHINA Factsanddetails.com/China (http://factsanddetails.com/china/cat3/sub14/item99.html) ; FENG SHUI AND QI QONG Factsanddetails.com/China (http://factsanddetails.com/china/cat3/sub14/item97.html) ; RELIGION, FOLK BELIEFS AND DEATH ( Main Page, Click Religion) Factsanddetails.com/China (http://factsanddetails.com/china.php)

Origin of Chinese Lunar Calendar The Chinese had established a solar year with 365 days by 1400 B.C.. This calendar is said to have been devised in 2357 B.C. by a legendary emperor but there is no evidence to back this up. The ancient Chinese lunar calendar inserted two months every five years to keep the sun and moon in synch. It was later revised to add seven extra months every 19 years which works out to 365 days a year. The ancient Hindus, Egyptians, Babylonians all used 365-day calendars. The first year on the Chinese calendar is the first year of the reign of China's first legendary Emperor in 2,698 B.C. It is not known whether this legendary emperor really existed. The year of 2007 on the Gregorian calendar was equal to the Lunar Year of 4705 on the Chinese Calendar. The lunar calendar system is thought to have originated around 4,500 years ago. In ancient times, the imperial court employed a system of yin-yang duality, 10 heavenly stems and 12 terrestrial branches to numbers and symbols not only for years but also to months, days and even hours, Today, for example could be metal-dragon day, tomorrow could be a metal-snake day. The same system was used to divide the compass into 30-degree segments, 12 of them, for describing directions.


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The Chinese zodiac system with animals and basic elements evolved late as a way of making the system accessible to ordinary people. The use of animals and elements and days to tell fortunes, analyze personalities and access compatibility developed out of astrological folklore much like Western constellation-based astrology did.

Imperial Chinese Calendar Until the fall of the Last Emperor and the founding of the Republic of China in 1911, China used a complicated calendar based on a system of the reign years of emperors combined with the lunar calendar. The year A.D. 1900, for example, was the 26th year of Kuang-Hsü, the Brilliant Succession, on the Chinese calendar. In the Chinese 60-year cyclical calendar, each dynasty had to be associated with one of the five elements of Taoism, and each had to appear at the predestined point for its "element" in the cyclical series. For centuries debates over dynastic legitimacy were translated into the language of the five elements; irregularities were explained with the insertion of quasi "leap years." The last emperor justified his coup by linking himself with the element that was next in succession. According to legend time was divided into sets of 12 after the earth and the heavens were separated at the beginning of the universe. The Chinese calendar was created by the legendary Heavenly Jade Emperor who held a race with all the world animals, giving places on the calender to the top 12 finishers. The rat won the race after tricking the ox into giving him a ride to the finish line. The ox finished second. Even after adopting the solar year in 1911, China continued to use dates beginning with the founding of Republic (the year 1911, for example, on the Gregorian calendar was equal to the year "1" on the Chinese calendar). The Chinese government did't switch over to the "New Style" Gregorian calendar (the calendar most everybody uses today) until after the Communist takeover in 1949.

Birthdays, Auspicious Days and Years in China In China and some other Asian countries age is determined from the moment of conception not from the moment of birth. Often a person is't recognized as being a year older until the Chinese New Year. Thus, someone who is 25 in the United States is usually 26 in China or Korea. Birthdays are often less important in Asia than they are in the West. The hour and year of birth are often have more significance than the date of birth. The 3rd and 17th days of the month are considered unlucky. Many Chinese do't work on these days. Double Ten Day, October 10th, is really, really unlucky. The year of the dragon is considered a auspicious time to have children. The year 2000 was regarded as particularly auspicious because it was the beginning of a new millennium, or "Qian Xi," "Year of a Thousand Happiness." Consequently, there were dramatic increases that year in the number of children born in countries with large Chinese populations. Some Chinese women give birth prematurely by a Caesarean operation to ensure that their children have lucky birthdays. Around the time of some auspicious day or the beginning of lucky years some clinics and hospitals become overrun with women seeking Caesareans. At one provincial hospital a 50-


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year-old man reportedly died of stroke because doctors were too preoccupied doing Caesarean operations. Couples also try to get married on auspicious days foretold by fortunetellers. Shengcheng bazi the year, month, day and time the bride and groom were born are important in determining whether couples are compatible. See Marriage. One fortune teller told the International Herald Tribune, T he majority of Chinese believe in horoscope readings and do not merely consult them for fun." See Chinese Zodiac Below

Bad Years and Leap Months in China The year 1995, was not only the year of the pig, it was also a leap year in which an extra eight month was added. Chinese believe that bad things are more likely to occur on a leap eighth month than any other time. According to an old Chinese proverb: "Better a leap seventh month than a leap eighth month, for a leap eight month means death." A leap eighth month occurs once every 20 to 50 years. During the 1995 leap month between September 25 and October 23, Chinese in the northeast China wore blue socks, people in the southwest wore red socks and people in Beijing tied red threads around their wrists to ward off the harmful effects of the unlucky month. In Gansu province, many people slept outdoors out of fear that a major earthquake was going to occur. To waylay fears a folklore scholar in Beijing announced the "fear that a leap eighth month brings disaster is sheer superstition" and an article in a leading intellectual newspaper reported that "according to history, there is no certain link between a leap eighth month and natural disasters." The artcile was accompanied by data that showed that none of the 10 major earthquakes between 1841 and 1980 fell on the five leap eight months in that period. Still people were worried. Around the time of the previous leap eighth month in 1976, Zhou Enlai and Mao Zedong died and 250,000 people were killed in the Tangshan earthquake. In 1995, many people thought Deng Xiaoping was going to die during the leap month but in the end nothing really disastrous happened.

Chinese Zodiac The Chinese zodiac is based on a centuries-old system based on natural elements, marked by fixed colors and assigned a dozen animals as they correspond to the hour, date, month and year of birth. To make leap year adjustments, the colors of white, black, green, red and brown also are assigned. The Chinese Zodiac is based on years rather months. Each year in a 12-year cycle is named after a different animal, with distinct characteristics associated with that animal. Many Chinese believe that the year of a person's birth is the primary factor in determining a person's personality traits, mental and physical attributes and success in love and life. Each of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals are combined with the five basic influences of fire, earth, metal, water and wood each with a yin (female) form and a yang (male) form to form a cycle of 60. The yin and yang years alternate with one another, and each of the five phases has both a yin and a yang form. Hare years are always yin, representing the female, soft and cool principles of the universe.


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A 10-year cycle that runs concurrently with 12-year cycle defines whether years in the 12-year cycle are auspicious or inauspicious ones. The year 1966 the Year of the Fiery Horse was regarded as a bad year for girls and was marked by a significant reduction in births. It was said girls born that year suffer from a dire fate and would be "un-marriageable man eaters." The year 2007 the Year of the Gold Pig was regarded as a good year to have children because there was a good chance they would be rich. The next Fiery Horse year is 2026.

Ancient Chinese zodiac

Birth rates in Asia go up in years of the dragon, considered an auspicious sign, and decline in years of the tiger, considered years that produce difficult children.

Book: Astrology: A History by Peter Whitfield (Abrams, 2001).

Chinese Zodiac Year Animals Rats (born in 1936, 1948, 60, 72, 84, 96) are linked with prosperity and dynamism. They are regarded as charming, generous, ambitious, honest, and like to spend money but also can be quick tempered and have difficulty forming long term friendships. They are most compatible with dragons and monkeys, and least compatible with horses. Rats make good writers, salespersons and publicists. Famous rats include Shakespeare, Mozart and Churchill. [Source: Chinese restaurant menus] Oxen or Buffalo (1937, 1949, 61, 73, 85, 97) are considered hardworking and reliable like oxen and make good leaders. They are bright, patient, happy with themselves and have the ability to inspire others but have a reputation for being demanding and conservative. They are most compatible with snakes and roosters, and least compatible with sheep. Oxen make good surgeons, managers and generals. Famous oxen include Napoleon, Van Gogh and Richard Nixon. Tigers (1938, 1950, 62, 74, 86, 98) are used as a shield against evil and are thought of as aggressive, courageous, emotional, passionate, hotheaded, candid, sensitive, rebellious and foolish. They are most compatible with horses and dogs, and least compatible with monkeys. Tigers make good bosses, race car drivers and explorers. Famous tigers include Marco Polo, Mary Queen of Scots and Marilyn Monroe.


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Rabbits Rabbits (1939, 1951, 63, 75, 87, 99) are the luckiest of all signs. Rabbits are regarded as talented, articulate, affectionate yet shy, and peace seekers. Sometimes others thinks of them as superficial, conservative and overly sentimental. They are most compatible with sheep and pigs and least compatible with roosters. Rabbits make good lawyers and diplomats. Famous rabbits include Confucius, Albert Einstein and Orson Welles. Rabbit are honest, sensitive, tactful, stylish, sophisticated, virtuous, private, quietly charismatic, thoughtful, calm and modest, but they also are viewed as snobbish, standoffish, introverted and withdrawn, self-righteous, oversensitive and a little unpredictable. In Vietnam, the rabbit is not a rabbit at all but a cat, which failed to make the top 12 in China, according to legend. Elizabeth VanderVen, an assistant history professor at Rutgers University and a specialist on Chinese and eastern Asian culture told AP: Rabbits are considered to be especially lucky financially, noting that some believe rabbits are the luckiest of all signs in the Chinese Zodiac. This is thought be especially true in 2011 because the 2011 rabbit year corresponds with the element of metal, symbolizing great wealth. [Source: AP, January 12, 2011] Famous rabbits include baseball superstar Alex Rodriguez, movie stars Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Charlize Theron, Drew Barrymore; pop music singer-songwriter Enrique Iglesias; British author George Orwell; Frank Sinatra; Albert Einstein and Leon Trotsky. The rabbit comes fourth in the zodiac's 12-year cycle. Rabbit years include 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987 and 1999 on the more international Gregorian calendar, as opposed to the luni-solar Chinese calendar that pegs 2011 as 4708. The rabbit year 2011 is white yin metal, likely making the precious metal of silver prominent, so watch for lots of silver souvenirs. T he 2011 rabbit will obtain wealth if she or he works hard and diligently, VanderVen predicts.

Dragons Dragons (1940, 1952, 64, 76, 88, 2000) are considered eccentric, extroverted, complex, intelligent, passionate and healthy and have been described as adventurous dreamers with strong leadership qualities. Sometimes they are seen as foolish, indiscreet and demanding. They are most compatible with rats and monkeys, and least compatible with dogs. Dragons make good artists and politicians. Famous dragons include Joan of Arc and Freud. The dragon outranks the other 11 animal signs in the Chinese zodiac in China as it is the ultimate emblem of the Chinese nation and race. Paradoxically, it represents power and unmitigating authority on the one hand but benevolence and blessings on the other. Dragon years should be filled with happiness, security, abundance and prosperity. Kent Ewing wrote in the Asia Times: The dragon is the most revered and auspicious animal


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in the Chinese zodiac. It has long been the preeminent symbol of imperial power in China; indeed, the first set of stamps issued in the country - during the Qing Dynasty, in 1878 - bore the image of a giant dragon. [Source: Kent Ewing, Asia Times, January 24, 2012] The thrashing, fire-breathing ferocity of Western dragons may inspire fear and loathing, but in Chinese lore dragons are fierce and frightful because - like the emperors they have represented - they offer protection and security while also possessing mythical powers to ward off evil spirits and disasters. The birthrate in dragon years often leaps because it is the most auspicious in the Chinese almanac. In 2000, the previous Year of the Dragon, birth rates in Hong Kong shot up 5.6 percent, to 54,134, according to official data, and an even bigger spike, spurred by mainland mothers-to-be dodging China's one-child policy, is anticipated in 2012. Leo Lewis wrote in The Times: Of all stops along the 12-year Chinese zodiac cycle, the Year of the Dragon has the clearest economic effects. The Chinese marry more and bear more children in a "lucky" dragon year: in a frenetically gift-giving culture growing wealthier all the time, 20 million births and 12 million marriages will translate directly into big sales of gold. [Source: Leo Lewis, The Times, January 23, 2012]

Dragon Year 2012 Kent Ewing wrote in the Asia Times: The Year of the Dragon 2012, which began on January 23, got off to a bad start before it even began. How else to explain the critical reaction within China to a commemorative postage stamp issued by China Post depicting the dragon as the fierce, fanged and clawed mythical creature it is supposed to be. "Too scary!" media critics complained. "Inappropriate," cried scores of politically correct microbloggers. [Source: Kent Ewing, Asia Times, January 24, 2012] Now, as the fireworks explode and the celebrations commence, the dragon debate rages on: 's this the menacing image a rising China wants to present to the rest of the world? To which this self-anointed feng-shui commentator responds: Absolutely - unless this is to be the year that China becomes known as a nation of 1.3 billion wimps. Who would you rather have guarding the commonweal of your nation a Chinese dragon or Mickey Mouse? Feng-shui masters said that better-than-expected economic news was due the influence of the advancing dragon chasing the rabbit to the back of the zodiacal queue. 's the euro zone heads toward the financial abyss and the US economy continues to limp along, the fierce protection offered by the dragon should provide China with a proverbial soft landing in the coming year. At least, that is what Chinese leaders hope and pray for. According to their sobering (and very un-geomantic) calculations, growth of under 8 percent could wreak enough economic havoc to provoke social unrest - unleashing the darker side of the Chinese dragon's ferocity. No one wants that, and most fortune-tellers assert that this year's dragon possesses enough strength to pull China through the economic trough that is expected in 2012. But the ancient art of feng shui goes well beyond simply taking note of which of the 12 animals of the zodiac occupies center stage in any given year. There are also the five basic elements to contend with - metal, wood, water, fire and earth. This year (2012) is dominated by two elements - water and earth. Since these elements are eternally locked in a destructive relationship, the Year of the Dragon will not be without conflict and natural disasters. Expect the politics of the Middle East and North Africa to continue to roil while the earth shakes and the seas bulge and surge. Prepare yourself for a wild ride, although also remember that in the end the dragon is there for assurance and protection.


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The total absence of the fire element this year spells bad news for stock markets and the world of finance. The mediating influence of earth should prevent disaster, but count on a wet year for the world economy. Be careful and conservative in investments - or get soaked. In preparation for the onslaught of Dragon year babies, the Hong Kong government has raised obstetric fees at public hospitals for women from the mainland and also capped the number of deliveries by mothers who are not residents of Hong Kong at 3,400 in public hospitals and 31,000 in private hospitals. These caps, however, have prompted some desperate mainland moms to turn up at the emergency wards of the city's hospitals to have their babies. This, in turn, has led immigration officials to begin implementing checks on mainland women at the border and to turn back any visibly pregnant women who cannot prove that they have a booking at a Hong Kong hospital - an awkward and imprecise art at best. The irony in all this is that Hong Kong's fertility rate is among the lowest in the world and its rapidly aging population poses a threat to the city's future development. In other words, Hong Kong needs more babies, lots of them.

More Chinese Zodiac Animals Snakes (1941, 1953, 65, 77, 89, 2001) are thought of as wise, intense, vain, romantic, short tempered and beautiful or handsome. They have a good sense of humor but can be tight with their money and procrastinate on important decisions. They are most compatible with roosters and oxen, and least compatible with pigs. Snakes make good teachers, psychiatrists and fortunetellers. Famous snakes include Darwin, Lincoln and Edgar Allen Poe. Horses (1942, 1954, 66, 78, 90, 2002) are considered an unlucky sign. They are popular, intelligent, attractive and have a large capacity for hard work but are also often impatient, egotistical and ostentatious. They are most compatible with tigers and dogs, and least compatible with rats. Horses make good scientist, poets and politicians. Famous horses include Rembrandt, Chopin and Teddy Roosevelt. Sheep and Goats (1943, 1955, 67, 79, 91, 2003) are regarded as elegant, creative, timid and prefer anonymity. They often do't give a good first impression but become more likable once you get to know them better. They have a tendency to be pessimistic and worry a lot and are most compatible with pigs and rabbits, and least compatible with oxen. Sheep make good actors and gardeners. Famous sheep include Michelangelo, Mark Twain and Rudolph Valentino.

Yet More Chinese Zodiac Animals Monkeys (1944, 1956, 68, 80, 92, 2004) are intelligent, enthusiastic and goal-oriented but are easily discouraged and confused. They have the ability to easily influence other people but are sometimes distrusted by other people and viewed as opportunists. They are most compatible with dragons and


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rats, and least compatible with tigers. Monkeys are usually successful at any endeavor they undertake. Famous monkeys include Julius Caesar, Leonardo da Vinci and Elizabeth Taylor. Roosters (1945, 1957, 69, 81, 93, 2005) are devoted to their work, creative, shrewd, selfish, eccentric and seekers of knowledge. Sometimes regarded as dreamers, they can be boastful, extravagant and are known for speaking their mind. They are most compatible with snakes and oxen, and least compatible with rabbits. They make good soldiers, travelers and restaurant owners. Famous roosters include Rudyard Kipling, Caruso and Groucho Marx Dogs (1946, 1958, 70, 82, 94, 2006) are regarded as loyal. honest, stubborn, idealistic, supportive and sometimes selfish. They have a tendency to find fault with others and worry a lot and tend to be good listeners, insecure pessimists and find others take advantage of their loyalty. They are most compatible with horses and tigers, and least compatible with dragons. Dogs make good businessmen, teachers and spies. Famous dogs include Socrates, Benjamin Franklin and George Gershwin. Pigs (1947, 1959, 71, 83, 95, 2007) are considered one of the unluckiest signs. They are regarded as spirited, noble, chivalrous, fun to be with, likes challenges, intellectual. sincere, tolerant, spontaneous, living for the moment and not likely to "look to far beyond tomorrow." They establish long term friendships but are sometimes naive and often have marriage problems . They are most compatible with rabbits and sheep, and least compatible with other pigs. Pigs make good lawyers and entertainers. Famous pigs include Albert Schweitzer and Ernest Hemingway. Pigs are associated with abundance and years of the pig are regarded as years of plenty, The Year of the Gold Pig on the 60-year cycle (next in 2031) is especially good. Lots of children are born on that year and sales of gold pig charms are brisk. Image Sources: 1) Ancient Chinese zodiac, Art Museum of Chicago; 2) Chinese zodiac, All China net Text Sources: New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Times of London, National Geographic, The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, Reuters, AP, Lonely Planet Guides, Compton's Encyclopedia and various books and other publications. © 2008 Jeffrey Hays Last updated December 2012  Page Top


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Chinese Lunar Calendar and Zodiac _ Facts and Details

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