Chinese calendars have been used in various forms for a very long time. Today, the common Gregorian calendar (the one used by most of the rest of the world) is used in China for daily business, however the Chinese calendar is still utilized to celebrate traditional Chinese holidays.
History
Many of the Chinese dynasties of Ancient China created the Chinese calendar. But the present calendar was established in 104 BC, under the administration of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. The Taichu calendar was the name of this timetable. The Chinese calendar still in use today is the same one.
Animal Years
According to the Chinese calendar, each year is given an animal name. An illustration would be the “year of the dragon” in 2012. The years cycle through 12 different species. The cycle repeats itself every twelve years. The Chinese thought that a person’s personality would adopt traits from the animal they were born as, according to the year they were born.
The animals and their meanings are listed below:
Rat
Years: 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008
Charming, cunning, humorous, and devoted personality
Getting along with: monkeys and dragons but not horses
Ox
Years: 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009
Hardworking, serious, patient, and reliable personality
Get along with: roosters and snakes but not sheep
Tiger
Years: 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010
aggressive, bold, ambitious, and fierce personality
Be friendly with: horses and dogs but not with monkeys
Rabbit
Years: 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011
Popularity, good fortune, kindness, and sensitivity
Compatibility: Sheep, pigs, but not roosters
Dragon
Years: 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012
Wise, strong, enthusiastic, and charming personality
Get along with: rats and monkeys but not dogs
Snake
Years: 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013
Smart, envious, analytical, and kind personality
Not with pigs, but with roosters and oxen
Horse
Years: 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002
Travel-loving, gorgeous, impatient, and popular personality
Befriend lions and dogs, but stay away from rodents.
(Goat) Sheep
Years: 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003
Creative, modest, compassionate, and insecure personality
Get along with: pigs and bunnies but not oxen.
Monkey
Years: 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004
Innovative, vivacious, successful, and cunning personality
You should get along with rats and dragons but not tigers.
Rooster
Years: 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005
Honest, orderly, pragmatic, and proud personality
Getting along with: oxen and snakes, but not rabbits
Dog
Years: 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006
Personality: devoted, upstanding, perceptive, and moody
Not with dragons, but with tigers and horses
(A boar) pig
Years: 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007
Intelligent, truthful, meticulous, and honorable personality
Get along with: sheep and bunnies but not pigs
The Chinese Years’ Legend
A race, according to an old Chinese tale, chose the order of the animals in the calendar. The animals competed in a race across a river, and the outcome of the race defined their place in the cycle. The rat triumphed because it rode on the oxen’s back and leaped off at the finish line to win the race.
Five Elements
Additionally, there is a component for every year. Each year, five elements go through a cycle. They are earth, metal, fire, water, and wood.
Holidays
The Chinese calendar is still used to determine when the major Chinese festivals are observed. Chinese New Year, the Lantern Festival, the Boat Dragon Festival, the Night of Sevens, the Ghost Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the Winter Solstice Festival are a few of these celebrations.
Facts about the Chinese Calendar that are Interesting
In the race for the Chinese calendar, the cat was the thirteenth animal. The rat pushed the cat into the water as it attempted to ride on the ox’s back like the rat, thus the cat was denied a spot on the calendar.
Every year, between January 21 and February 21, the Chinese New Year officially begins. The lunar-solar cycle controls it.
The 12 months of the calendar are lunar months, which means that they all start at midnight on the first day of a dark moon.
The calendar has a 60-year cycle when the 12 animals and 5 elements are united.
There are 29 or 30 days in each month. Periodically, a month is added to the year to align the calendar’s length with the solar year.