by Pa Rock
Time Lord
Those with a calendrical bent to their natures are undoubtedly already aware of this, but yesterday marked the start of the lunar new year, an occasion that some of the world refers to as the Chinese New Year - and in this case year number 4718.
Before digging too deeply into this topic, it should be noted that there are many types of calendars currently in use the the world. The most common is the Julian calendar - and its very close cousin the Gregorian calendar - which is used throughout much of the world including here in the United States as well as in much of China. It provides a nice common footing for doing business on an international scale and fits in well with the needs of keeping cyber communications on an even keel.
Calendars vary in what they measure as well as in length. "Solar" calendars such as the Julian and Gregorian, measure days - in this case the amount of days that it takes the Earth to complete one entire orbit around the sun - three hundred and sixty-five plus change. "Lunar" calendars like the Chinese mark off time with lunar cycles - or the emergence of "new" moons. The lunar new year is celebrated during the second new moon of the winter solstice. Mayan calendars, a distinct mesoamerican invention, are also "solar" in that they recognize 365 days as a year, but instead of being divided into twelve months like more traditional calendars of the Julian and Gregorian stripe, a Mayan calendar has eighteen months of twenty days each, and one month of five days.
In addition to being delineated into smaller segments - like months and weeks - many major world calendars also have a religious or nature overlay dividing them into other units often referred to as signs of a zodiac. Solar calendars are connected to star signs - signs linked to commonly recognized zodiac signs in the night sky of the northern hemisphere. The twelve signs stretch across one year.
The twelve zodiac signs for the solar calendar are - in order - Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.
But lunar calendars also have their own signs - animals. In a lunar calendar twelve animals cover twelve years, and children are supposedly blessed with the skills, strengths, and unique talents of the animal which was reigning over the year in which they were born. ( I was traveling in Vietnam during the ending months of the year of the Rabbit, and people were talking about planning to have babies during the following year because that year, the year of the Dragon, was supposed to produce the most successful children.)
The lunar animal signs which cover the twelve-year span are - in order - Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.
Interestingly, the Mayan calendar, the one with nineteen shorter months, covers a span of roughly 5,125 solar years. The most recent cycle completed in 2012, causing many crackpots to predict the imminent end of the world.
But place all of that trivia aside for the moment and know that we are once again at the beginning of a new cycle in the lunar calendar - the year of the Rat. I was born in the year of the Rat - 1948 - and this will be the seventh time that I have spun around the sun during a year that pays homage to the vermin who hosted the fleas that brought the Black Plague to Europe. I'm not sure how being born in the Rat year impacted my life, but others undoubtedly have opinions on that!
Nevertheless, I'm proud to be a Rat, the first sign in the lunar zodiac, and an Aries, the first sign in the solar zodiac. Noting those same facts in a blog posting several years ago, I surmised: "Taken together, those signs are undoubtedly responsible for my immense wealth, unmatched intellect, and amazing good looks. The signs never lie."
And neither does the Internet!
Have a wonderful 4718 - and be nice to a rat!
Time Lord
Those with a calendrical bent to their natures are undoubtedly already aware of this, but yesterday marked the start of the lunar new year, an occasion that some of the world refers to as the Chinese New Year - and in this case year number 4718.
Before digging too deeply into this topic, it should be noted that there are many types of calendars currently in use the the world. The most common is the Julian calendar - and its very close cousin the Gregorian calendar - which is used throughout much of the world including here in the United States as well as in much of China. It provides a nice common footing for doing business on an international scale and fits in well with the needs of keeping cyber communications on an even keel.
Calendars vary in what they measure as well as in length. "Solar" calendars such as the Julian and Gregorian, measure days - in this case the amount of days that it takes the Earth to complete one entire orbit around the sun - three hundred and sixty-five plus change. "Lunar" calendars like the Chinese mark off time with lunar cycles - or the emergence of "new" moons. The lunar new year is celebrated during the second new moon of the winter solstice. Mayan calendars, a distinct mesoamerican invention, are also "solar" in that they recognize 365 days as a year, but instead of being divided into twelve months like more traditional calendars of the Julian and Gregorian stripe, a Mayan calendar has eighteen months of twenty days each, and one month of five days.
In addition to being delineated into smaller segments - like months and weeks - many major world calendars also have a religious or nature overlay dividing them into other units often referred to as signs of a zodiac. Solar calendars are connected to star signs - signs linked to commonly recognized zodiac signs in the night sky of the northern hemisphere. The twelve signs stretch across one year.
The twelve zodiac signs for the solar calendar are - in order - Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.
But lunar calendars also have their own signs - animals. In a lunar calendar twelve animals cover twelve years, and children are supposedly blessed with the skills, strengths, and unique talents of the animal which was reigning over the year in which they were born. ( I was traveling in Vietnam during the ending months of the year of the Rabbit, and people were talking about planning to have babies during the following year because that year, the year of the Dragon, was supposed to produce the most successful children.)
The lunar animal signs which cover the twelve-year span are - in order - Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.
Interestingly, the Mayan calendar, the one with nineteen shorter months, covers a span of roughly 5,125 solar years. The most recent cycle completed in 2012, causing many crackpots to predict the imminent end of the world.
But place all of that trivia aside for the moment and know that we are once again at the beginning of a new cycle in the lunar calendar - the year of the Rat. I was born in the year of the Rat - 1948 - and this will be the seventh time that I have spun around the sun during a year that pays homage to the vermin who hosted the fleas that brought the Black Plague to Europe. I'm not sure how being born in the Rat year impacted my life, but others undoubtedly have opinions on that!
Nevertheless, I'm proud to be a Rat, the first sign in the lunar zodiac, and an Aries, the first sign in the solar zodiac. Noting those same facts in a blog posting several years ago, I surmised: "Taken together, those signs are undoubtedly responsible for my immense wealth, unmatched intellect, and amazing good looks. The signs never lie."
And neither does the Internet!
Have a wonderful 4718 - and be nice to a rat!
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