Chinese Calendar

The Chinese calendar is a soli-lunar calendar (order more often used than: lunisolar Calendar). During antiquity, various observations (movements of the the Moon, Sun and planet Jupiter, length of the shades, relative duration of the days and nights, agricultural phenomena) were combined to lead under the Han to a calendar very close to the current one.

According to the tradition, the first system calenderic (sexagesimal Cycle) was created by the Empereur Yellow into 2637 before our era and steady as from its year of birth -2697 or design -2698.

The Gregorian calendar was officially adopted by China in 1912, but because of the maintenance of the popular practices and the occupation of the North of the China by the Lords of the war, it was necessary to wait on January 1st 1929 so that it is applied to all the extent of the country. The selected official hour was that of the first ports open to the Occident, on the east coast (120°de longitude Is), and either that of Beijing.

The Chinese calendar is used more only to determine the dates of the traditional festivals or religious like the Chinese New year or the Fête of the semi-autumn, like for the astrology.

One gives him several names, more the current being that of “calendar of the farmer”, in opposition to the “civil calendar”, or “Western calendar”.

The populations not Han in general had their own calendars, still used by the national minorities of popular China to determine their feastdays.

Evolution

Soli-lunar association is old, since one found on writings divinatoires of the Dynastie Shang the 12 months lunar with one or two months year intercalated.

It is starting from 841 av JC (Zhou Western) that one has precise calenderic information. The first month of the Zhou calendar always starts in the neighborhoods of the winter solstice; there is no precise astronomical rule for the place of the intercalated month. The royal calendar is not into force everywhere because the vassal ones promulgate of them sometimes another of their choice in their stronghold, particularly starting from the Royaumes combatants, when the central capacity does not make any more the weight in front of the rise of hégémons. It is about this period, in 484 av JC, which a system comparable with the cycle appears metonic which envisages seven years embolismic (containing each one one month additional) distributed on a 19 years cycle.

In 256 av JC, the kingdom of Qin fixes the 11th month at the winter solstice. As Qin will found the empire, this principle will be taken again by the Han for the Taichu calendar or calendar of the “Great beginning” founded in 104 av JC by the Wudi emperor. Although there remains other specialized calendars (astrological, astronomical etc), the Taichu calendar becomes the principal reference until the 20th century.

The winter solstice always falls there in the 11th month. Is regarded as guide the month during which the sun does not enter a new sign. Because of the difficulties of astronomical calculation, the movements of the sun and the moon are averages, and not the real movements. It is only in 619, under the Tang, that the real moon replaces the average moon. The use of the real sun becomes possible starting from 1645 (Dynastie Qing) thanks to calculation by sinusoids introduces by the Jésuite Adam Schall.

Some principles

The basic rules were already fixed by the Taichu calendar of Han, but the increased precision of calculations of the position of the sun as from 1645 complicated the rules concerning the determination of the intercalated months.
  • the months of the Chinese calendar are lunar months; they carry like name their sequence number (1 to 12). Like all the other days, the first day of each month starts at 11 p.m. right before the news the moon, which must intervene in the astronomical day which follows.
  • the official hour of the astronomical new moon and the entry of the sun in a sign zodiacal is the local time of the Observatoire of the Mountain Crimson (紫金山天文台 Zǐjīnshān Tiānwéntái) to Nanjing (time zone of Beijing).

  • the winter solstice (December 21st) falls obligatorily into the 11th lunar month: Consequently, and although Western astrology is very different from the Chinese Astrologie, it is possible to say if one wants to really find points of agreements, that the Sun enters the sign of the Capricorn of the Western zodiac during the eleventh lunar month of the Chinese year, which was formerly the first month, that of the Rat, of normal the Duodécimal cycle. Not to confuse with the first month of the Chinese calendar year, that of the Tiger of which the first day is the day of the Chinese New year.

  • the New year falls between on January 21st and on February 20th (included).

  • Each year has 12 months lunar ordinary but, all the 2 or 3 years, one additional 13th month intercalated without median stake is added (the annual race of the sun is divided into 12 and concretized by stakes at the dates of its passage). When one month lunar does not contain a median stake and if it is with less than 20 months of a preceding additional month, it is added to the lunar year which thus counts the 13 moons to maintain the calendar Chinese at the same time in connection with the Sun and the Moon (闰月 rùnyuè). This additional month can be theoretically intercalated after any regular month. It has the same number that the preceding ordinary month, but is marked like guide.

  • In fact, the 12th month is never followed one month intercalated. The additional months are generally placed after the regular months 3,4,5,6 and 7. That comes owing to the fact that the Sun moves more quickly on the ecliptic between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice and the stages solar are almost the same length as lunations. Certain astrologers even affirm that the 11th lunar month, him also, never is followed one month intercalated, however exceptionally in 2033 the 11th month should be doubled by the one month intercalated addition. The 8th regular month will be named “false intercalated month” (jiǎ rùn yùe 假閏月).

  • During 96,6% of the months, the sun enters a new sign zodiacal. One year simple case without intercalated month:

The agricultural calendar and the Jieqi

The race of the sun along the ecliptic is the object for a long time attention of the peasants. It constitutes the base of the agricultural calendar which divides the year of 24 periods called alternatively jie “node” and IQ “breath”. They are named overall jieqi . A jie or a IQ is equivalent to a displacement of the sun of 15 degrees along the ecliptic, that is to say one duration of about 15 days. This system being entirely solar, it presents a rather regular correspondence with the Gregorian calendar. The periods bear names evoking the changes of nature or the agricultural activities of the moment.

Although the agricultural calendar does not take into account the movements of the moon, the life of the peasants was also rythmée by the traditional festivals, on which the date depends, it, of the lunisolar calendar. It was important to know to determine the date of the Chinese New year. It is in theory the day of the new moon which falls during the period known as lichun or of it is closest.

Although in the official calendars the months carry only numbers, the popular tradition often gave them names. That of the first month, zhengyue , “regulated month”, is still used; dongyue “winter month” and layue , name of a sacrifice, indicated respectively 11th and 12th month in the North of China. They are not any more employed, but meet in proverbs and literary works. In the areas with the abundant agricultural productions, each month bore the name of a fruit.

Table of the Jieqi

The dates above are approximate and can slightly vary from one year to another. The Chinese New Year's Day is generally the day of the new moon more close to Lìchūn .

Song of the Jiéqì

It is used to simplify the memorizing of the Jiéqì .

Classification of the years

There exist various systems to name the years. Oldest, the sexagesimal Cycle, combines two series of signs: 10 celestial stems and 12 terrestrial branches. Each year is named by a pair stem-connects. The cycle formed by the combination of the two signs lasts sixty years, 60 being lowest common multiple of 10 and 12. One names it in Chinese jiǎzǐ , of the name of the first year. Jiǎzǐ is a metaphor to mean complete life; in Japan where the system had course formerly, the sixty years birthday is called kanreki , “completion of the calendar”. According to the tradition, this system was invented by mythical the Yellow Empereur (Houang-Ti or Huangdi), considered as the father of Chinese civilization, into -2637, the year of its 60 years (61 years in Chinese age, the year preceding the birth being counted). It is considered that the departure is -2697, the year of his birth, or -2698, the year of his procreation.

In fact, this system invented probably under the Shang, former to XIIe front century J. - C., was used a long time only for the classification of the days. It is only in the middle of the Dynastie Han (~ beginning of the Christian era) that it starts to number the years. In addition, since 841 av. J.C., existed the dating in years of reign of the local sovereign, who makes follow his name (often a posthumous name) of the number of the year of reign. Starting from the medium of Han, the two systems combine, the number of the year being expressed in the system Jiazi. Moreover, about the same period, the emperors take the practice to divide their reign into eras; the date is then expressed in year (in sexagesimal form) of such era of such emperor. There is hardly risk of repetition, but however two years ago 康熙壬寅 Kangxi rényín (1662 and 1722), this emperor not having divided his reign into eras and having remained on the throne particularly a long time.

In 1911, with the fall of the empire, the imperial dating was abandoned. Some were in favor to adopt the era of the Yellow Emperor , making it begin into -2697; this dating was employed on documents emitted by the revolutionary army of the Hubei. Nevertheless, it was the republican era , starting in 1912 (year 1 of the République of China), which was selected. According to this system, 2006 are Minguo (republic) 95. Given up by the popular China with the profit of the era common (according to the Anglo-Saxon terminology Common Era ), similar to the Gregorian , this dating is still in force with Taiwan where the common era is also of everyday usage. According to the dating of Huang Di which keeps its partisans, 2007 would be 4705 (2698 + 2007) and we would be in the 24e year of the 79e sexagesimal cycle.

The months, days and hours can also be indicated using the celestial stems and of the terrestrial branches, but it is nowadays hardly used but for the astrology. The stems and the branches of the hour, of the day, of the month and the year of birth form the “eight characters” which influence the destiny. For the horoscope, the celestial stems of the year of birth can moreover be associated with the Yin and the Yáng (a stem yin and a Yáng stem in alternation), like with the five elements. The twelve branches can be associated each one with a animal-sign.

Parallel to the soli-lunar year, period which connects two Chinese New year consecutive, called nián , there exists one year purely solar suì used by the astronomers and the astrologers, who extends from a beginning of spring lichun with the following (see the Jiéqì section). Some support that the change of jiazi , therefore of animal-sign, must is done with the solar beginning of the year and not at the Chinese New year like wants it the practice.

Douze animaux

It is, in the order, the rat, the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, dragon, the snake, the horse. the goat, the monkey, the cock (its pronunciation, ji, are the same one as “chance”), the dog and the pig. The cat replaces rabbit in certain cultures. The animals are the symbols which represent certain characteristics of the temperament and the personality. The legend of a race between the animals makes it possible to memorize their order, but it in réalté no precedence between the signs there: The first Bouddha invited all the animals with the midnight supper of the New year in order to communicate its observations to them. Twelve animals went to this go. Arrived in the order: the rat (mouse) cordial, the ox (buffalo) determined, the courageous tiger, the hare (/chat rabbit in Vietnam) casanier, the dragon (lizard) charismatic, the frivolous snake, the free horse, the goat (/mouton goat) extravagant, the monkey acrobat, the cock (phoenix) frankly, the retributive dog and finally the pig (/ours wild boar/pig) generous (the name of the animals can vary because this legend being known in almost all Asia, each country adapts it to its fauna).

Buddha says to them: “To thank you for being come with this midnight supper, as from this year, each one among you will receive benefit at the time of the year which is devoted to him and at the time of the years devoted to the compatible animals”. Thus, each animal knew which other animals were compatible for him, and which they were their favorable and unfavourable years according to the element of the year. The Twelve animals could thus live a serene life. See other versions

The tradition fixes the first year of the rat at 2697 or 2698 before our era, respectively years of birth and procreation of the Yellow Empereur, mythical sovereign considered as the father of Chinese civilization and the inventor of the sexagesimal cycle.

Feastdays

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