Have you ever been to a Chinese restaurant that handed you a paper with a bunch of random animals and years on it? Most people will just throw it away and not pay that much attention to it. That little piece of paper contains a basic information about the Chinese Zodiac just enough to get you hooked. There are many people all over the world that very much believe in the ancient Chinese Zodiac. The Chinese Zodiac can be helpful for finding the current Chinese year, what animal people are, and can help make decisions.
The Chinese use the lunar calendar. “Although China has adopted the Gregorian calendar in common with most other countries in the world for official and business purposes, the traditional Chinese calendar continues to define the dates of festivals and used for horoscopes” (“Chinese calendar”). The lunar calendar is based on of the moon. It uses the moon phases to figure out each month.
Twelve is an important number when using the Chinese calendar. One day consist of twelve time periods called Shi Chen. The time periods are two hours each. “Ancient people observe that there are 12 full moons within one year” (“Chinese calendar”). One year has twelve months. Once you reach twelve years it is called a Ji.
The Chinese Zodiac would not be the same without the Ji for many reasons. The Chinese Zodiac has twelve animals and the Ji has twelve years. The Ji acts like an alarm clock. Once it is over then all the animals have been used in the years. In the American calendar you cannot go back to the Benming Nian. The Benming Nian is also known as the year of birth. The Chinese calendar is different though. Once the Ji is over you restart. “Once in every twelve year cycle people will meet their birth [year]” (Chinese calendar)...
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The ancient Babylonian calendar was rather similar to our modern calendar today. All together, the Babylonian calendar had a total of 12
This book focuses on different types of calendars from a number of different places all around the world. This specific chapter, even more specifically this section, focuses on the Mayan calendar. These calendars were written by honored members of their aristocracy and were held to be of great value. The Spanish invaders believed them to be instruments of the devil and burnt great quantities of them. E. G. Richards explains that only four Mayan books are survive in the libraries of Europe, and one of those—The Dresden codex—suffered severe damage in another fire, one which was inflicted on that city in the Second World War. Richards says that the earliest record of a calendar survives from about 500 BC in Monte Alban near Oaxaca. This calendar employs a 260-day cycle, which was commonly used by several societies and is still in use among the present-day inhabitants of the region. The Maya used the calendar partly to anticipate propitious days to embark on wars and other activities. It was also used to record on stone pillars, or stelae, important events in the lives of their kings and to relate these to more mythical events of the past. The Mayan calendar system involved two major methods of specifying a specific date—the calendar round and the long count. The calendar round was used to specify a date within a period of about 52 years, while the long count served to relate such dates within a longer period named a great cycle. The calendar round involved three interlocking cycles of 13, 20, and 365 days respectively. The 365-day cycle was called a haab and was similar to the Egyptian wandering year. Each haab was divided into 18 periods called uinals; each uinal had 20 days and a name. The 18 uinal were followed by five epagomen...
One of the eras of a majestic ancient civilization that has left a lasting impression upon the world of today is the Chinese Song Dynasty. Established by General Zhao Kuangyin this dynasty lasted from 960–1279 AD and brought a new stability to China after many decades of civil war, and ushered in a new era of modernization. It was divided into the Bei (Northern) and the Nan (Southern) Song periods. This brilliant cultural epoch gave birth to major advances in economic reform, achievements in technology, and helped to further medical knowledge.
Willis, Roy. and Curry, Patrick . Astrology Science and Culture. Pulling Down the Moo. (Oxford: Berg 2004)
The second part of the journey visits, ancient China in 1500 BCE, a thousand years prior to the formation of the Daoism school of thought. (Brodd, Little and Ny...
Ancient China was a striving place for new eras to arise and succeed leading to new ones. The Qin and Han were successful for their region and time. They both had to utilize the land and what they were given. By doing this they were able to conquer land and other peoples surrounding them. All in all both had a similar governments and a strict social ladder the had different
Traditional Chinese Festivals - china.org.cn. (n.d.). Traditional Chinese Festivals - china.org.cn. Retrieved April 29, 2014, from http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/Festivals/78322.htm
The Chinese usually celebrate the New Year in a period of 15 days. On the first day, the New Year is celebrated and the gods of heaven and earth are welcomed by the people. On the second day, the people pray to their ancestors and to the gods for good fortune in the coming year. During the third day, the Chinese stay inside the house, believing that it is unlucky to be outdoors. On the fourth day, Chinese families clean their homes, throw...
The ancient Maya name for this 'divine' 260 day period is not known. The word, 'Tzolkin,' meaning "Division of Days,” is a Western word coined in Yucatec Mayan. The K'iche' Maya still refer to it as the "Ch'olk'ij" or "Count of Days.” The K'iche' and Kaqchikel Maya
of Zodiac on them that had food matas ching the symbol, ram, bull, crab, figs,
In a Long Count calendar date there are five numbers which are separated by four periods (for example, 13.0.0.0.0). 13.0.0.0.0 is thought to have been the Mayan’s theory as to the world’s creation date. The Mayans used hieroglyphs, such as those in the image,
Williams, C. A. S., and C. A. S. Williams. Chinese Symbolism and Art Motifs: An Alphabetical Compendium of Antique Legends and Beliefs, as Reflected in the Manners and Customs of the Chinese. Rutland, VT: C.E. Tuttle, 1988. Print.
The first calendar the Mayans used was the Tzolk’in. It is made up of the numbers twenty and thirteen and operates on a 260-day cycle. The Tzolk’in first day on the calendar is called Imix’ and starts with the number one. The days go on in sequence until it reaches the thirteenth day. After the thirteenth day the calendar goes back to one but the names of the days move forward with the fourteenth glyph, 1x. Rotating like this, the two sets form 260 combinations of a day name and a number. It is written in vertical bars and dots. The Tzolk’in calendar wasn’t accurate enough to measure a solar year so they came up with the Haab Calendar.
What is the name? The name is a word used for identification. Through two words—a family name and a given name, a personal name identifies a specific, unique and identifiable individual person. Countries name people using their own customs, which are determined by history, society and culture. Some people believe that naming is simply choosing some words to make a good meaning. But Cindy Chang’s article “Chinese names blend traditions, drama” ,which was published in the Los Angeles Times, reveals her family’s experience of naming her brother’s child and states that naming is a challenge for her family because of the blended culture with Chinese, American and Korean backgrounds. Indeed, naming is a challenge for parents because of Chinese traditional naming customs and local naming customs.
Chinese mythology began in the first dynasty of China. Their were many many many gods and goddess of the Chinese myths. Some important factors in Chinese mythology include Taoism(the search for immortality - literal, physical immortality) Confucianism(He taught the virtues of order, structure and correct behavior) And Buddism(the main religion of China) And some God’s and Goddesses’ are Heng-O, The Chinese moon goddess, Heng-O was the mother of the 12 moons and 10 suns. Mu GongYang counterpart of Yin goddess Si-wang-mu, creator god Mu Gong was the Lord of the East. Nugua, a Chinese creator goddess who made man from area mud. Pangu, the Chinese creator god who emerged from the cosmic egg. Shangdi was the supreme deity during the Shang dynasty and creator god before Pangu.