China's Lunar Calendar 2013 02-18

Click here for the introduction to the Round and Square series "Calendars and Almanacs" 
Today's 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.

 

Section One
Solar Calendar Date

十
八

一期星

Eighteenth Day

Astral Period One

(Monday, February 18) 

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Section Two
Beneficent Stars

吉天官

期貴日
Official Days

Heavenly Nobility

Auspiciuous Temporal Segments

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Section Three
Auspicious Hours
申辰子

凶中吉

酉己丑

凶凶中

戌午寅

吉中吉

亥未卯

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

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

15:00-17:00 Inauspicious
17:00-19:00 Inauspicious
19:00-21:00 Auspicious
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.
 

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Section Four
Activities to Avoid 

 忌

開穿 ☐＊

 池井種  

Opening Granaries
Paying Reverence 
*My computer character programs don't have this variant. See above for the actual character.

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 Section Five 
Cosmological Information 

初 

九

乙

卯

水
張

除

Ninth day (first lunar month)

Cyclical day: yimao (52/60)

Phase (element): Water

Constellation: Drawn Bow (26/28)

Jianchu Cycle: Discard (2/12)

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Section Six
Appropriate Activities 
(and Miscellaneous Information)

水雨

零二戌
 二十正 
 分時    

宜

動嫁會
土娶友
安開出
牀市行 
魚祭獺 
下兔咸
元口池

Important Solar Information
Rainwater (the second of twenty-four fifteen-day solar segments)
Begins at the midpoint of the xu "hour"—20:02.  
Appropriate Activities

Meeting friends 

Going out (and about)

Marriages

Market days

Moving earth

Positioning beds  

Important Solar Information

Otters Sacrifice Fish (the fourth of seventy-two five-day solar segments) 

Miscellaneous Information

Altogether Ponds

Rabbit Mouth

Lower Amputee 

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 Section Seven
Inauspicious Stars
人林
Person, Copse (thicket)

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Section Eight
Miscellaneous Activities
門

磨碓

Gate

Grindstone, Pestle