China's Lunar Calendar 2015 02-19 New Year's Day

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

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦
2/21...................................................2/19...........................Monthly Information

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
十二     一二
九月年五零

 四期星

Second Month, Nineteenth Day

Astral Period Four
Thursday, February 19

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Section Two
Beneficent Stars 

(top to bottom, right to left)

不月要王四月
將恩安日相德

Lunar Virtue
Four Facings
Kingly Days
Urgent Peace
Lunar Kindness
Not General

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Section Three
Auspicious Hours
(top to bottom, right to left) 
申辰子
凶凶吉
酉己丑

吉中凶

戌午寅
中吉中
亥未卯
中中吉

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

07:00-09:00 Inauspicious
9:00-11:00 In-Between
11:00-13:00 Auspicious
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 In-Between

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
修動祈祭作修
倉土福祀灶廚
Kitchen Repairs
Stove Work
Venerating Ancestors
Inquiring-into Fortne
Moving Soil
Granary Repairs

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Section Five 
Cosmological Information 

初
一
丙
寅
火

角
建

First Day (Twelfth Lunar Month)

Cyclical day: bingyin (3/60)

Phase (element): Fire

Constellation: Horn (1/28)

"Day Personality" Cycle:  (1/12)

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

節春 
雨噩時西時貴
水神凶方合神
辰正辰迎吉財
初南巳貴出神
七五二神行正
時鬼時財宜西
五死截神用炷
十門路大子香
分西空吉寅宜
交南亡是卯用
節勿不日午子
獺向宜丑時寅
祭是出辰向卯
魚日行申正巳
————

Spring Festival
(A concatenation of information about fortunate directions and activities follows)
Noble and Wealth Spirits Due West; Burning Incense is appropriate.
The zi, yin, mao, and si times are all auspicious; traveling about is appropriate.