China's Lunar-Solar Calendar 2025 01-29 Lunar New Year's Day

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

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦
2/1...........................................................1/29....................................Monthly Calendar 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-solar (or "luni-solar" calendar; I call it the "lunar" calendar in order to distinguish it from the kinds of calendars most Westerners use. It has a basic translation and minimal interpretation. 

As for interpreting the translation, unless you have been studying 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 (almost any "it" you will see). 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. And do not assume that people from China understand the traditional calendar particularly well, either. I have encountered confusion and furrowed brows for countless items in the calendar. It can seem "remote," in other words, from the world we live in these days, and yet it is printed anew every single year.

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. You will likely find that several of the translations seem quite "fanciful" in English. I am simply trying to convey that they also sound fairly fanciful in Chinese.    

                           Section One

                    Solar Calendar Date

                (top to bottom, right to left)

廿一年二二

九月    五〇

日               

三期星

First Month, Twenty-Ninth Day

Wednesday, January 29

————

Section Two
Beneficent Stars 

(top to bottom, right to left)

青聖於備吉母

龍心左列神日

Maternal Days

Auspicious Spirit

Arranging Preparations

Veer Left

Sagely Heart-Mind

Blue-Green Dragon

————

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

凶吉吉

酉巳丑

吉中吉

戌午寅

凶凶吉

亥未卯

吉吉中

23:00-1:00 In-Between

1:00-3:00 Auspicious

3:00-5:00 Inauspicious

5:00-7:00 Auspicious

7:00-9:00 Inauspicious

9:00-11:00 In-Between

11:00-13:00 Auspicious

13:00-15:00 Inauspicious

15:00-17:00 Auspicious

17:00-19:00 In-Between

19:00-21:00 Inauspicious

21:00-23:00 In-Between

————

Section Four 
Activities to Avoid  
(top-to-bottom; right to left) 

忌

行成除栽出開

喪服靈種財倉

Purchasing Land

Setting-up Industry

Lawsuits and Litigation

Exorcising Spirits

Completing Clothing

Mourning Visits

————

Section Five 
Cosmological Information

初

一

戊

戌

木

參

收

First Day (First Lunar Month)

Cyclical Day: wuxu (35//60)

Phase (element): Wood

"Constellation Personality" Cycle: Gathering (21//28)
"Day Personality" Cycle: Receive (10/12)

————

Section Six

Appropriate Activities

and Miscellaneous Information

(top to bottom; right to left)

節春

不辰迎時乙喜

宜未喜亦貴神

出戌神吉人東

行時東出卯南

五凶北行時貴

鬼子方宜天神

正丑迎卯官東

南戌貴巳貴北

死亥神午人炷

門時大時上香

正截吉向吉宜

北路是東子丑

勿空目南巳時

向亡寅方午天

SPRING FESTIVAL

Spirits of Happiness: Southeast

Wealth God: Northeast

Incense Burning: Appropriate Use...

The rest of the column continues in this manner, and 

creates a directional symbolism for thinking about various 

divinatory activities (something that is not in 

the day columns for the rest of the year.

Happy New Year!