[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Luna New Year 16/2/99 year of the Rabbit


Luna New Year 16/2/99 year of the Rabbit


   Chinese Calendar

The Chinese Calendar runs in cycles of sixty years. 
Each year is distinguished by two characters, one a 
Celestial stem (Tian Gan) signifying one of ten planets, 
the other a Terrestrial branch (Di Zhi) representing one
of twelve animals. The ten Celestial stems and the twelve
Terrestrial branches rotate in a regular sequence and, as
the lowest common multiple of ten and twelve is sixty, the 
cycle recurs every sixty years.  

The first cycle started in 2697BC with the reign of Huang Di 
(Yellow Emperor) and the same reconking has continued ever since.
This year is the 78th cycle which can be calculated as follow:
2697 plus 1999 = 4696 divides by 60 = 78 and a remainder of 16.

The Ten Celestial Stems are:

Jia     =   first   = 1 
Yi      =   second  = 2
Bing    =   third   = 3
Ding    =   fourth  = 4 
Wu      =   fifth   = 5
Ji      =   sixth   = 6
Geng    =   seventh = 7
Xin     =   eighth  = 8
Ren     =   ninth   = 9
Kui     =   tenth   = 10

The Twelve Terrestrial Branches or the Twelve Animals: 
to make it easier I substitute the animals with alphabet

Zi   =    Rat       = A
Chou =    Ox        = B 
Ying =    Tiger     = C
Mao  =    Rabbit    = D
Chen =    Dragon    = E
Si   =    Snake     = F
Wu   =    Horse     = G
Wei  =    Goat      = H
Shen =    Monkey    = I
You  =    Rooster   = J
Shu  =    Dog       = K
Hai  =    Pig       = L
  
The calculation of the sixty cycles (from top to bottom
and from left to right) by using numbers and alphabet 
to make it easier:
   
1A     1K     1I     1G     1E    1C
2B     2L     2J     2H     2F    2D
3C     3A     3K     3I     3G    3E
4D     4B     4L     4J     4H    4F 
5E     5C     5A     5K     5I    5G
6F     6D     6B     6L     6J    6H
7G     7E     7C     7A     7K    7I
8H     8F     8D     8B     8L    8J
9I     9G     9E     9C     9A    9K
10J    10H    10F    10D    10B    10L

The next cycle begins as above from 1A 2B 3C 4D 5E and so on until 10K
Starting from 16th Febuary 1999 is going to be Ji Mao year or 6D
which can be calculated as:
The reign of Yellow Emperor started in 2697BC.
This year is 1999 which is added to 2697 = 4696.
4696 divides by 60 = 78 remainder of 16 i.e 78th cycle plus 16 year
is = to 6D or Ji Mao or Year of the Rabbit.

Please comment or do not hesitate to ask if you don't understand.

If time permits, will try to put it in English on how to calculate 
the days and months of the Lunar Calendar.

CHUNG Yoon-Ngan.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Which animals were you born under?


Rat        born 1900, 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996.  

Ox         born 1901, 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997.

Tiger      born 1902, 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998.

Rabbit     born 1903, 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999.

Dragon     born 1904, 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000.

Snake      born 1905, 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001.

Horse      born 1906, 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002.

Goat       born 1907, 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003.

Monkey     born 1908, 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004. 

Rooster    born 1909, 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005.

Dog        born 1910, 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006.

Pig        born 1911, 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007.


CHUNG Yoon-Ngan.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------


The Animal Cycle in the Chinese Calendar

Jade Emperor (Yu Huang Da Di) wanted to give the animals names and rank.
So Jade Emperor gave orders that all animals should, on a certain day,
come together to have audience with him. The one that would come first
would receive the highest rank. Rat and cat originally were very good
friends, so they planned on that day they would go together.

When the day came, the rat thought it had to go very early because it
knew it could only walk slowly. When the rat got up, the cat was still
sleeping. Knowing that the cat could walk very fast so the rat did not
wake the cat. In order not to disturb the sleeping cat the rat quietly
walked out.

The rat saw that the cow was ahead. So, secretly and gently, the rat
climbed up and hid on the horns of the cow. Shortly before they arrived at
the place, the rat jumped down and became Number One, while the cow became
Number Two. After them came the other animals of tiger, rabbit, dragon,
snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and the pig.

When the cat woke up, it noticed that it was almost night, and the cat
knew it had been cheated. The cat ran over, and was the thirteen, but 
Jade Emperor selected only twelve and the cat was missed out. The cat 
was very angry and wanted to kill the rat. Since then the cat hates the
rat, and when the cat sees a rat, it will catch, kill,
and eat it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

This explains why the little rat is the first animal of the Chinese
zodiac, followed by the big cow. This is to tell the people that 
dishonesty will always be punished. The rat violated the rules of
friendship and is in eternity punished for this.

CHUNG Yoon-Ngan