Chinese Dates – Lunar And Solar
The Chinese calendar is in fact not just used in China, but also throughout much of Asia. This calendar dates back to five hundred years before Christ. Although the Gregorian calendar is used to mark the passing of the days, important Chinese dates are only found on the Chinese calendar.
This calendar is called a lunisolar calendar, because it uses the phases of the moon to calculate the dates, as well as using the sun in this way. It charts a tropical year, which is one in which a full season is completed by the sun, so that it has completed three hundred and sixty degrees. The exact timing of the important festivals in a Chinese year are worked out from theses calculations.
The year begins with Chinese New Year, which is a very important holidays, and is held on the first day of the first month. It is a huge celebration in the community. It is traditional for houses to be thoroughly cleaned before the New Year, sweeping out any bad luck that might have occurred, and to make room for good luck to come in.
Red is considered to be a very lucky colour, so the doors and windows are decorated with red symbols of luck and wealth. On new Years Eve there is a big feast, and fire crackers are let off at midnight to welcome in the year. The following morning the children get a gift of lucky money in a traditional red envelope.
Another important date is that of the Mid Autumn festival, or Moon festival. This is held on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, which means that it usually occurs around mid September to mid October. It takes place when the Moon is at its very fullest.
People celebrate by looking at the moon. Often they will light lanterns and floating lanterns. Because of this the Mid Autumn festival is often called the Lantern festival. Moon cakes are eaten to celebrate the moon.
During the winter time then the major celebration is the Dongzhi festival. This takes place on the winter solstice which is the shortest day of the year. Families celebrate by having a large feast.
The origins of this festival are thought to lie in the Chinese tradition of yin and yang. It is the day with the least amount of light, so after this time the days will become longer and lighter, and with it there will be an increase in energy. Important Chinese dates are found on this calendar.
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.