China's Lunar Calendar 2013 05-06

Click here for the introduction to the Round and Square series "Calendars and Almanacs"  

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦

LEFT May 9.....................................................................................May 2 RIGHT

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.

Section One
Solar Calendar Date
(top to bottom; right to left)  
六
日

一期星

Fifth month, sixth day

Astral Period One

Monday, May 6

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Section Two

Beneficent Stars 
(top to bottom, right to left)

六歲
合支

Phoenix
Great Luminosity
Spirits Attending 

—————————————————

Section Three
Auspicious Hours
(top to bottom, right to left) 
申辰子

凶吉吉

酉己丑

吉吉吉

戌午寅

中中凶

亥未卯

凶吉吉

23:00-01:00 Auspicious
01:00-03:00 Auspicious
03:00-05:00  Inauspicious
05:00-07:00 Auspicious

07:00-09:00 Auspicious
09:00-11:00 Auspicious
11:00-13:00  In-Between
13:00-15:00 Auspicious

15:00-17:00 Inauspicious
17:00-19:00 Auspicious
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) 

忌

安開
牀渠

Opening Sluices
Positioning Beds

————————————————— 

 Section Five 
Cosmological Information 

廿
七

壬
申

金

畢

平

Twenty-seventh Day (third lunar month)

Cyclical day: renshen (9/60)

Phase (element): Metal

Constellation: Net (19/28)

"Day Personality" Cycle: Even (4/12)

————————————————— 

Section Six
Appropriate Activities 
(and Miscellaneous Information)
(top-to-bottom; right to left) 

宜
沐
浴
掃
舍
理
髮
平
道
血債
忌不
復月
喪刑

Appropriate Activities

Wash and Bathing

Sweeping Rooms

Patterning Hair

Leveling Roads 

Miscellaneous Information

Debt Not
Lunar Punishment
Blood Taboo
Return Mourning

 ————————————————— 

 Section Seven
Inauspicious Stars
(right to left)
丫 天
Bifurcation, Heaven

————————————————— 

Section Eight 
Miscellaneous Activities

(Top to bottom; right to left) 

倉
爐 庫

Granary
Furnace, Storehouse