Click here for the introduction to the Round and Square series "Calendars and Almanacs"
Today's calendar date: *
This is one in a never-ending series—following the movements of the calendar—in Round and Square perpetuity. It is today's date in the Chinese lunar calendar, along with basic translation and minimal interpretation. Unless you have been studying lunar calendars (and Chinese culture) for many years, you will likely find yourself asking "what does that mean?" I would caution that "it" doesn't "mean" any one thing. There are clusters of meaning, and they require patience, reflection, careful reading, and, well, a little bit of ethnographic fieldwork. The best place to start is the introduction to "Calendars and Almanacs" on this blog. I teach a semester-long course on this topic and, trust me, it takes a little bit of time to get used to the lunar calendar. Some of the material is readily accessible; some of it is impenetrable, even after many years.
As time goes on, I will link all of the sections to lengthy background essays. This will take a while. In the meantime, take a look, read the introduction, and think about all of the questions that emerge from even a quick look at the calendar.
Today's calendar date: *
This is one in a never-ending series—following the movements of the calendar—in Round and Square perpetuity. It is today's date in the Chinese lunar calendar, along with basic translation and minimal interpretation. Unless you have been studying lunar calendars (and Chinese culture) for many years, you will likely find yourself asking "what does that mean?" I would caution that "it" doesn't "mean" any one thing. There are clusters of meaning, and they require patience, reflection, careful reading, and, well, a little bit of ethnographic fieldwork. The best place to start is the introduction to "Calendars and Almanacs" on this blog. I teach a semester-long course on this topic and, trust me, it takes a little bit of time to get used to the lunar calendar. Some of the material is readily accessible; some of it is impenetrable, even after many years.
As time goes on, I will link all of the sections to lengthy background essays. This will take a while. In the meantime, take a look, read the introduction, and think about all of the questions that emerge from even a quick look at the calendar.
Solar Calendar Date
(top to bottom; right to left)
廿
九
五期星
Third month, twenty-ninth day
Astral Period Five
(Friday, March 29)
————————————————
Section Two
Section Two
Beneficent Stars
(top to bottom, right to left)
(top to bottom, right to left)
進月
神德
Lunar Virtue
Entering Spirits
—————————————————
Section Three
Auspicious Hours
(top to bottom, right to left)
申辰子
Auspicious Hours
(top to bottom, right to left)
申辰子
中中凶
酉己丑
戌午寅
凶中吉
中凶吉
亥未卯
凶吉中
01:00-03:00 Auspicious
03:00-05:00 Auspicious
05:00-07:00 In-Between
07:00-09:00 In-Between
09:00-11:00 In-Between
11:00-13:00 Inauspicious
13:00-15:00 Auspicious
15:00-17:00 In-Between
17:00-19:00 Inauspicious
19:00-21:00 In-Between
21:00-23:00 Inauspicious
The hours above are for Hong Kong. It is up to you if you want to recalibrate or to assume that the cyclicality of the calendar "covers" the rest of the world. This is a greater interpretive challenge than you might think.
—————————————————
Section Four
Activities to Avoid
(top-to-bottom; right to left)
Activities to Avoid
(top-to-bottom; right to left)
忌
苫開
蓋倉
Opening Granaries
Thatched Coverings
—————————————————
Section Five
Cosmological Information
Cosmological Information
十
八
八
甲
午
金
牛
牛
平
Eighteenth Day (second lunar month)
Cyclical day: jiawu (31/60)
Phase (element): Metal
Constellation: Ox (9/28)
"Day Personality" Cycle: Even (4/12)
—————————————————
Section Six
Appropriate Activities
(and Miscellaneous Information)
(top-to-bottom; right to left)
Appropriate Activities
(and Miscellaneous Information)
(top-to-bottom; right to left)
宜
祭
祀
平
道
塗
飾
垣
墻
死債
神不
上河
兀魁
Appropriate Activities
Paying Reverence
Smoothing Roads
Painting and Ornamenting Embankments and Walls
Miscellaneous Information
Debt Not
Water Apparition
Death Spirit
Upper Amputee
—————————————————
Section Seven
Inauspicious Stars
(right to left)
白 鬼
White, Ghost
Inauspicious Stars
(right to left)
白 鬼
White, Ghost
—————————————————
Section Eight
Miscellaneous Activities
Miscellaneous Activities
占
碓 門
(Top to bottom; right to left)
Divination
Divination
Perch, Gate
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