Click here for the first post in the Round and Square introductory series "Calendars and Almanacs"
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| [a] Orderly RF |
The solar and lunar calendars live side-by-side in Chinese life, and it is impossible to interpret the rhythms of festivals, family gatherings, and commerce without understanding each of them. How the solar and lunar calendars merge and separate ultimately can give the reader a perspective on the bustle of Chinese life that is rarely grasped by outsiders.
8/14 8/8 8/1 Monthly Information
Let us begin by analyzing two pages from the
calendar—representing a fortnight that is unlikely to be forgotten anytime soon
in China—the seventh lunar month of the 戊子 (wuzi) year, better known to the
rest of the world as 2008, and the month during which the 2008 Summer Olympic
Games took place. The lunar month began, by a coincidence of the calendar,
precisely on August 1st, so that the first day of the seventh lunar month was
also the first day of the eighth solar month (Illustration B). The monthly “overview”
of the calendar is found in the widest column on the page, on the far right
side. The calendar contains an array of
crisscrossing rows and columns that make it somewhat difficult to negotiate,
even if one reads Chinese. This jumble of information in rows and columns
represents the standard formatting for a traditional 港式, Hong Kong-style almanac and
calendar.
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| [b] August 2008 |
We will proceed right to left, and move toward what many
people considered the most important date in recent Chinese history—the Opening
Ceremony of the Beijing Summer Games, when China would open its borders to the
world. It is curious that a government with an official stance that is highly
critical of “superstitious” practices chose to open the Olympic Games at the
most conspicuously “auspicious” date and time possible in terms of long held
numerological beliefs—the eighth day of the eighth (solar) month, at 8:00 p.m.
The large row at the top of the monthly overview has four
characters that read (right to left): Solar Calendar, Eighth Month. Directly
beneath it are six red characters that state: “Festivals and Birthdays of
Various Sages and Spirits.” Indeed, the third column (directly below it) lists
date after date of birthdays and celebrations for historical and mythological
figures. One can still see offerings
being made on streets and alleys throughout China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan on
such days, confirming it as part of a long Chinese cultural tradition.
The most important rows and columns are found in the fourth
block of text. The very middle of five small columns states “Lunar
Calendar—Seventh Month Big (Establish).” “Establish” appears on every monthly
informational section. “Big” refers to the size of the lunar month—small months
are twenty-nine days and big are thirty. The rest of the page is taken up by a
listing of “auspicious influences” and “evil stars,” as well as miscellaneous
information about constellations and stellar forces. Although this section is a
monthly “overview,” much of the information is repeated in the individual daily
columns that follow.
The daily columns (each of which, with the exception of the
information at the very center of the page, represents a day between August 1st
and August 14th) can be broken down into eight rows of varying size. If one
looks carefully at the page (trying not to become distracted by the
intimidating “sea of characters” that sometimes even Chinese readers find
challenging) one can see that the vertical columns are intersected by eight
distinct horizontal rows. These columns and rows are the calendar, and they are
broken down into the following bits of information, from top to bottom—(1) the
solar calendar date, (2) names of several auspicious stars for the day, (3) a
listing of “lucky” and “unlucky” times of day, (4) activities to avoid on the
day, (5) the precise lunar calendar information, (6) a listing of activities
that are appropriate for the day, and (7-8) two columns of somewhat
miscellaneous additional information. It is a challenge to confront all of this
material for the first time, but the formatting is straightforward and quickly
becomes second nature for the reader, from China or beyond.
Take a (primal) breath (生氣), and we'll continue tomorrow.
This is one post in a multi-part introduction to the Round and Square series "Calendars and Almanacs." Click below for the other posts in the series:
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