Understanding the Chinese Calendars

Chinese calendars have been around since 2600 BC. This makes the Chinese New Year the longest record of time in history. In fact, it is even the largest chronological record. It began when Emperor Huang Ti first introduced the cycle of the zodiac, which is still in place today. The Chinese calendar is actually quite similar to the Western calendar. Known specifically as the Chinese Lunar Calendar, it is a yearly record of time. As the name suggests, it is based on the cycles of the moon.

One of the main differences between the Chinese and Western calendars is the naming of the years. Under the Lunar calendar, the twelve years are named after an animal. There is a legend which states that, before leaving the earth, Buddha had all of the animals come to them. However, only twelve came to say good bye to him. He rewarded them by naming a year after each one. They were named according to the order in which they arrived.

Thus is the reasoning behind the Chinese zodiac, which is tied in with the calendar. Many Chinese beliefs maintain that the animal names connected to the calendar are hugely influential for the people who were born in those years. It can affect everything from personality to preferences.

Over a quarter of the world's population is Chinese. That is how many people celebrate the Chinese New Year and ascribe to the associated calendar. Mind, they do not solely rely on the Lunar calendar. The Gregorian system a majority of the rest of the world uses is used by the Chinese for civil purposes. At its most basic point, the Chinese calendar determines the timing of the culture's various festivals.

The calendar is also based around certain astronomical factors. Specifically, it is based around the precise longitude of the sun, as well as the phases of the moon. As such, despite the fact that it is the oldest time piece in the world, the Chinese calendar has been impacted by modern science.

On one hand, the Lunar calendar bases its dates on the dates of the cycles of the moon. The cycles for the new moons are used specifically. Whenever the new moon occurs, it indicates a new month. The longitude of the sun is also used. It determines the Principal Terms of the Chinese calendar. Those in turn determine the actual numbers of each month.

In closing, as mentioned, each year corresponds to an animal. 2009 is the year of the Ox. The year of the Ox occurs every twelve years. The same can be said for the Dog, Rat, Snake, et cetera.

Henry Fong
Feng Shui Consultant.
Feng Shui Absolutely

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Understanding the History Behind the Chinese Zodiac Signs

Once upon a time there was the Jade King. He wanted to see a representation of earth's animals so he sent out invitations for specific animals to come to his court. The rat was given two invitations, one for himself and one for the cat. The rat being the devious and clever sort decided not to give the cat his invitation.

The other 11 animals that were sent invitations showed up at court. The King wanted to know where the 12th animal was so a messenger was sent to earth to get one more animal. The pig was given the last invitation. These animals were, and still are, the representations of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs.

The 12 Chinese zodiac signs are the rat, ox, tiger, dragon, dog, pig, ram, goat, rabbit, snake, horse and monkey. The Chinese one for each of these animals is representative of a certain year. The Chinese zodiac works on a twelve year rotation with 2008 being the year of the rat. This is serious business for true believers in the Chinese zodiac.

With zodiac signs there are many factors that people read up on everyday. They look for their daily horoscope to see what the day may hold for them in the way of financial decisions, details on how their day or month will go and even about compatible zodiac signs for their love interests.

Some people take these readings lightly, while others believe whole heartedly in what their readings say. Could it be a case of prognostication coming through because of the power of belief in the reading? With zodiac signs, there is a devout following in both China and the rest of the world.

The compatibility between the zodiac sign of an individual and that of a romantic interest is probably the most sought after information. People base their entire romantic decisions and mates based on zodiac sign compatibility. Many people pay for readings from such places as "Chinese Astrology" just to see how their romantic life will progress.

That poor cat did eventually show up, but alas, too late. All of the Chinese zodiac signs had already been assigned and his spot was given to the pig. The cycle had been set and he missed out on the opportunity just because of the tricky rat.

Maybe somewhere along the lines of history the cat got back at the rat; perhaps the cat put the rat in a hat, upon which he sat. Regardless, it still remains as something of interest, as far as mythological tales are concerned.

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