China's Lunar Calendar 2013 12-24

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

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦

LEFT December 31............................................................................................December 23 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) 
廿
四
二期星

  Twelfth Month, Twenty-fourth Day

Astral Period Two
Tuesday, December 24

———————————————— 
Section Two
Beneficent Stars 

(top to bottom, right to left)

天歲
赦祿

Generational Emolument
Heavenly Amnesty

—————————————————

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

吉吉吉

酉己丑

中中吉
戌午寅

中凶吉

亥未卯

凶吉中

23:00-01:00 Auspicious
01:00-03:00 Auspicious
03:00-05:00 Auspicious
05:00-07:00 In-Between

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

15:00-17:00 Auspicious
17:00-19:00 In-Between
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

動開
土倉
Opening Granaries

Moving Soil

————————————————— 

 Section Five 
Cosmological Information 

廿
二
甲
子
金
翌
建

Twenty-second Day (Eleventh Lunar Month)

Cyclical day: jiazi (1/60)

Phase (element): Metal

Constellation: Wings (27/28)

"Day Personality" Cycle: Establish (1/12)

————————————————— 

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

宜

沐

浴

理

髮

立

約

交

易
土短
府星
地火
火星

Appropriate Activities
Bathing and Bubbling
Patterning Hair
Setting-up Appointments
Trade and Commerce

Miscellaneous Information  

Short Star
Fire Star
Soil Palace
Earth Fire

Section Seven
Inauspicious Stars 
(right to left)

人 鬼
Person, Ghost
————

Section Eight
Miscellaneous Information

(Top to bottom; right to left)

占
碓 門

Divination

Pestle, Gate