The Lunar New Year, or the Lunisolar New Year?

-


Chinese New Year falls on Jan. 22 this year, kicking off the Year of the Rabbit.

Have you ever wondered why the festival occurs on different dates every year? That’s because the first day of Chinese New Year is based on when the new moon appears between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20.

Although Chinese New Year is also known as the Lunar New Year, the traditional Chinese calendar is actually based on a hybrid lunar/solar timekeeping system.

The lunar calendar follows the moon as it orbits the earth. That only takes 354 days, compared to the 365 days it takes for the earth to orbit the sun (which determines the Western, or Gregorian, calendar).

To ensure that the Chinese calendar keeps pace with the solar calendar, the Chinese add one extra month about every three years to the 12-month lunar year.

The Chinese lunisolar calendar can be traced back to as early as the Zhou Dynasty (1050 BCE to 771 BCE). The calendar evolved through the centuries ruled by the different dynasties.

Today, modern China has adopted the Western calendar for official and business dealings. However, traditional festivals such as Chinese New Year and the mid-Autumn Festival are still based on the lunisolar calendar.

The Chinese aren’t the only culture that does this. Jewish holidays and other East Asian traditional festivals, including those of the Koreans, Japanese and Vietnamese, are also based on lunisolar calendars.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Spend a Haunting Halloween With These Ghost Movies

-
Image
As many of you know, Halloween, or All Hallows’ Eve, has roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (it’s Gaelic and pronounced SAH-win). The Celts believed that between October 31 and November 1, the boundaries between the physical and spiritual worlds were weak and could be breached. That meant that the dead, fairy folk and even monsters could cross into the human world at this time. The Celts left offerings for the Sidhs, or fairies, outside their villages and in fields. They also dressed up as animals and monsters to fool the fairies into not kidnapping them. For this Halloween, I thought it might be fun to breach the walls between the world of the living and the world of the dead. How about watching a few movies about ghosts while waiting for the trick-or-treaters to arrive? If you’re interested, I have a few recommendations for you. My list is in no particular order. Some of these are older movies and/or classics. They are among my favorite horror movies, and they all br
Read more

The 'Geomancer's Apprentice' Series: Dragon Lines and Ley Lines

-
Image
The phrase “dragon lines” appears often in T he Geomancer’s Apprentice series . So what are they? You may know them as ley lines. Ley lines are pathways of supernatural or spiritual energy that connect primitive sacred sites. Almost every ancient culture has its version of such routes. They are known as “fairy paths” in Irish folklore. The aborigines of Australia call them “dreaming tracks” or “songlines.” The people of ancient Peru referred to them as “spirit lines.” Such pathways have been recognized in China for thousands of years. Dragon lines are roadways of qi , or vital energy, that cut across the world. The lines correspond to the concept in Chinese medicine of the human body’s meridians—energy passageways associated with the various organs. According to the ancient Chinese, dragon lines originate from certain geographical locations, typically a low hill set in a valley. The energies are the most potent and active at these “dragon hearts.” The best and most auspicious sit
Read more

'Jiangshi': the Hopping Vampire in Chinese Folklore

-
Image
My latest book  The Corpse Ritual features a vampire-like Chinese folklore monster that some of you may recognize. It’s a “jiangshi,” which means “stiff corpse” in Mandarin. Those of you who’ve watched the Mr. Vampire Hong Kong comedy movies from the 1980s will be familiar with this creature. It’s basically a reanimated corpse. Its appearance depends on how long it’s been dead. It hops because its limbs are stiff from rigor mortis.  In Chinese popular culture, the jiangshi usually is shown wearing clothes from the Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1911). Although it’s called a “vampire” in the movies, there are major differences between a jiangshi and a vampire.  A jiangshi— doesn’t drink blood. It sucks a person’s life essence, or qi. isn’t good-looking or suave. behaves more like a zombie. doesn’t turn into a bat. doesn’t command other creatures of the night. doesn’t sparkle in daylight and won’t ever get the girl (or guy). The hopping corpse folklore supposedly dates back to olden t
Read more