Understanding the Chinese Calendar and Zodiac
To the Chinese, we lead double lives. On one end, in our daily lives we use the Gregorian calendar, also known as the Roman calendar for our day-to-day transactions, communication and scheduling. Yet to the traditional Chinese, we also studiously keep track of a second calendar in our heads and our hearts - the Chinese lunar calendar.
What is the difference, you might ask?
Well, for one, the Chinese New Year falls usually in late January or early February of the Gregorian calendar because it follows the lunar cycles of the moon. The new moon is often the first of every Chinese lunar month, and the full moon represents the 15th, which is often a significant date either for Buddhists, Chinese festivals or for certain Chinese customs. Leap years have a thirteenth month added.
Another interesting fact that perhaps non-Chinese aren't aware of, is that Chinese newborns are considered one year old when they are born, after having spent their first "year" growing in their mum's sweet womb. Curiously enough, the Chinese have a saying that the pregnancy is a 10-month gestation, not a Western point-of-view of 9 months. At every Chinese New Year, each and every person celebrates "Ren Ri" or "Human's Day" - which is everyone's birthday. That means that an extra year is added to the person's age. Often, one's Chinese age is one year older than the Roman age calculator.
As for the animals in the Chinese zodiac that characterizes every baby born, they are the 12 animals who made it in a race organized by the Chinese Heavenly King. There was a popular legend about the race, which is too long to repeat here, but suffice to say, the order of the animals is as follows: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig. The Dragon is considered the most auspicious Animal Sign and usually one sees a leap in the birth rate statistics in China and Chinese-dominated Asian countries for the Year of the Dragon.
Every lunar year belongs to one of the 12 animals, and even the 24 hours of the day is divided into 12 segments characterized by them. It is believed that one takes on the characteristics of the animal of the year, month and day you are born in. For example, Dragon babies are believed to be quick-witted, intelligent, with leadership qualities. A Horse baby would be independent, have a fiery temper and popular.
The coming new year brings different kinds of luck to people of different Animal Signs, depending on whether your Animal Sign clashes with the incoming Animal Sign of the year or not. It is also dependent on the movement of the planets as Chinese fortune-tellers rely on the combination of fengshui and astrology to calculate the fortunes of each Animal Sign. The current year is the year of the Rat, and the coming New Year of the Ox starts on 26 January 2009.
Usually celebrations and festivities go on for a whole month, giving plenty of time for celebration, visits and gastronomical indulgence!
