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» New Year according to the Eastern calendar: traditions of celebration. Eastern calendar

New Year according to the Eastern calendar: traditions of celebration. Eastern calendar

Chinese New Year is another holiday that comes right after our traditional festival. It is known that the Chinese New Year does not have a fixed date and is celebrated every year at different times - the year of the Fire Rooster begins on January 28, at exactly 4 hours and 8 minutes of the night Tbilisi time.

Date of celebration

The Chinese New Year has a fickle date because it is entirely dependent on the lunar calendar. Chinese New Year falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, December 21st. Every year this holiday can fall on one of the days in the interval from January 21 to February 21.

It is also a day marked by prayers for the environment, reminding us that we are good servants of the world around us. The Novels of Justinian decreed that all official documents of the Empire must include a reference to the definition. When you are trying to publish manuscripts from this era, it is helpful to know the year of showing, as exact dates or years are less common.

Harvest, Thanksgiving and Sowing

Anno Mundi served as the starting point for pre-modern calendars in many parts of the world and is still the liturgical reference point for modern Judaism and Christians alike. As the preparations for the winter have been made, so have the preparations for the coming year.

Chinese New Year 2017 begins on January 28th. More precisely, 2017 will be according to the Gregorian calendar, but according to the Chinese calendar we will meet the year 4715, which will come under the sign of the Fire Rooster and will last until February 15, 2018, when it will be replaced by the year of the Yellow Dog.

As noted

On New Year's holidays, people visit each other with congratulations, gifts in the form of money in red envelopes, and necklaces made of coins and tangerines as a symbol of wealth.

For Christians, it was a time of thanksgiving, remembering the good weather and abundant rain that the Lord provided for this year's harvest, which we pray for at every Divine Liturgy. This brings closer the parallels with the Feast of Trumpets for God's pre-educated people.

Chinese New Year Traditions and Signs

And the Lord said to Moses: Speak to the children of Israel, saying: the seventh month, in the first month of the month, there will be your rest, a memorial of trumpets; This will be a holy gathering for you. You will not do slave labor and you will offer a burnt offering to the Lord. By celebrating the new year at harvest time, each year we are reminded of our dependence on hard work and the blessings of God. Going beyond material wealth and healthy cultures, this applies to imperial concerns, including prayers for protection from our enemies.

Throughout the celebration of the New Year in China, fun folk festivals, fairs, costumed dances and masquerade street processions are held. In anticipation of the New Year, the people of China change their old clothes for new ones, thoroughly clean their houses so that the favorable energy circulates freely in it and does not stagnate. During the cleaning, they throw away all the rubbish and unnecessary things accumulated over the year.

You who created everything in Your infinite wisdom and set the times by Your own power, grant your victories to the Christian people. And given increasing natural disasters, droughts, floods, wildfires, hurricanes, and famines, we should be more careful in this modern age of technology and abundance to pray for such things - no less.

We have not designed our way out of dependence on God. In any case, the more our abilities increase, the more we manifest the need for the grace and mercy of God. And that brings me to my final point: Church New Year is a day marked by prayers for environmental care.

Accordingly, festive treats are prepared. Dumplings are a favorite dish, their shape resembling an ingot of gold - a symbol of prosperity. Often houses are decorated with tangerines, always eight pieces - a number symbolizing infinity.

Fire Rooster

The Year of the Fire Rooster promises to be a truly memorable event. The Chinese advise on the eve of the holiday not to buy new shoes, not to cut your hair, because, according to them, misfortune awaits those who violate these rules. Interestingly, on the night before the New Year, the Chinese do not sleep, because in this way they protect themselves from troubles, illnesses and troubles for the whole next year.

Bartholomew is affectionately known as the "Green Patriarch" and is a frequent speaker on the international stage regarding the defense of Creativity. And it all makes sense. The beginning of the New Year marked the beginning of peace for centuries. This is the day of God's grace for a bountiful harvest. It is a day that recognizes God's protection and providence for the world, along with our responsibility and direction towards the same.

This all goes back to the story of Creation itself, and a story in which humanity, represented by Adam and Eve, is given a huge responsibility to care for every living being. The restoration of peace between humanity and the created order is at the heart of redemption and deification, and this is ultimately what the New Spiritual New Year has in mind.

The rooster is bright and demonstrative, elegant and sociable. However, in addition to the animal itself, you also need to know the color and element of the patron sign of 2017. The element, like the color of the Rooster, directly affects how 2017 will be for each person.

Asian countries celebrate the New Year differently than we do, but something in common is present in both cultures. By observing the traditions of celebrating the New Year according to the eastern calendar, you can attract happiness, wealth and good luck into your life.

The Nativity of the Nativity of Mary is the first Great Feast of the year, while her Dormition or "falling asleep" is the last. In this cycle, we see the incarnation of the God-Man Jesus Christ at the core of our history as the people of God. And between these two landmarks, we have this holiday, which at first glance may seem like a peculiar or even out of place relic from the Roman Empire.

Rather, the Church New Year serves as the basis for our entire liturgical life every year. We give thanks for what the Lord has done and ask for his mercy and protection for the days ahead. We take a moment to consider our impact on the world around us, and whether our actions will come from hearts of selfishness or hearts of compassion. This is a holiday that points to the very essence of Christ's message of true Christian spirituality: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Prayers for blessings seen and unseen, starving for peace and our own mortification, and alms for the care of others.

Every year more and more people are wondering: when will the New Year come according to the Eastern calendar? The reason for the interest lies in the traditions, which are in many ways similar to ours, but at the same time have some extremely interesting differences. Knowing how it is customary to celebrate this holiday among the inhabitants of Asian countries, you will be able to better understand the roots of the New Year according to the Eastern calendar.

Celebration in Russia

Self-sacrifice and promise, beauty and restraint. So crack open a bottle of champagne and give your petitions to the Lord. In many places the monthly lengths immediately after this change were not fixed, but were based instead on observation of the sky. The priest-astronomers were instructed to announce when the new month began? it was generally said to begin with the first appearance of the new moon. The length of a month at this time was simply the number of days elapsed from one new lunar crescent to the next.

In those years in Rome, for example, the Pontifex watched the sky and announced a new moon and therefore a new month to the king. For centuries, the Romans have referred to the first day of each new month as Kalends or Kalends from their word calare. The word calendar comes from this custom.

When is the New Year according to the Eastern calendar

In the eastern countries of Asia there is no fixed date for celebrating the New Year: the holiday is celebrated on the first New Moon after the winter Solstice. Vacation lasts an average of 15 days.

The general leitmotif of the New Year according to the eastern calendar is the obligatory presence of red, fireworks, crackers and loud laughter: it is believed that with their help you can drive out evil spirits that bring trouble in the coming year.

This practice of beginning the month at the first observation of the new moon was observed not only by the Romans, but also by the Celts and Germans in Europe, and by the Babylonians and Jews in Lavant. All these nations began their month when the young crescent first appeared in the sky. This is still done for the Islamic calendar, but the date of the new moon is calculated for the traditional lunar calendars currently used in China and India.

During the period when the length of the month was not fixed, new moons were usually observed after 29 or 30 days. If on the thirtieth day the clouds obscured the vision, a new month appeared. When monthly lengths were identical with lunations, only those that lasted 30 days were considered normal. This was probably due to the fact that for such long periods of time, all months earlier were 30 days.

Red is a symbol of wealth and prosperity, so it is present not only in the decoration of streets and houses, but also in gift wrapping, clothes and interiors. Money is given everywhere in red envelopes: it is believed that the color of the package will increase the wealth of the recipient. But white and blue colors are strictly prohibited and can be perceived as extremely inappropriate, because these two colors are mourning in Asian countries.

When does Chinese New Year start and end?

During this period in Greece, for example, months that had 30 days were considered "full"; those that lasted only 29 days were considered "blank". Months containing 30 days were also called "full" in Babylon, but those containing 29 were considered "defective".

After the monthly lengths in the Celtic calendar became fixed, those that were given 30 days were called 'matos' and those that gave 29 days 'tomatoes'. This concept still exists today, the months of 30 days in the Jewish calendar are called "full", and those of them that are considered "imperfect".


New Year's Eve Traditions

Each of the 15 holidays has its own peculiar schedule, which allows you to cover all areas of life at the very beginning of the year and not spend this time mediocre. Residents of Asian countries treat this holiday in the same way as we do: it is considered a family holiday, and even distant relatives come to a common hearth to celebrate the New Year together.

When was the ancient new year?

In addition to their announcement of the beginning of each month based on the observation of the new moon, priest-astronomers were also tasked with determining the beginning of the year. Watching the movement of Sirius, the Egyptians found that the year was more than five days longer than their venerable 360-day calendar. This led to a change in their method of approximating the length of the year, which had been in use for almost a millennium. But it also made them wonder where the extra days came from.

Instead, they reverted to a fixed-length calendar that had 12 months of 30 days each, but with five days added at the end. 10. Usually on a date later than the middle of the eighth century, many other peoples who had previously considered a year of 360 days reluctantly returned to the calendar of twelve 30-day months, but added five days before the end of their year. These extra days were considered very unsuccessful or unacceptable.

Day 1: The New Year is celebrated with the family, symbolically burning bamboo chopsticks. After - a long family dinner filled with laughter and fun, fireworks, crackers and mass celebrations. On this day, it is customary to come to the cemetery and honor the memory of the deceased relatives.


The two eastern Mediterranean peoples who did not convert to Islam were the early Christians in upper Egypt, whom we now call the Copts and their neighbors to the south, the Ethiopians. Probably because they were surrounded by Islamic nations, the Coptic and Ethiopian churches never adopted the Western calendar. Instead, these two isolated pockets of Christianity continued to use the old 360-day calendar.

The two calendars are identical except for the year number. Both of them observe three 365-day years followed by one 366-day year. Their years are divided into 12 months of 30 days each, with an additional five or six days added after the twelfth month. B. with the birth of their founder, the prophet Zoroaster, use a calendar of 365 days. It consists of twelve 30-day months with five "gatha" days added at the end of the year. Each of the thirty days, as well as each of the days of the gatha, has its own name.

Day 2: On the morning of the second day, the whole family gets up for a common prayer, in which they ask for well-being for the whole year, prudence, wisdom and health. After that, a round of close people begins with the obligatory delivery of a cash gift in a red envelope. Also on this day, it is customary to welcome the poor and give alms.

Days 3 and 4: This period of the celebration of the New Year according to the Eastern calendar is dedicated to friends and acquaintances: communication among friends strengthens ties and contributes to the continuation of communication in the New Year. Not coming to visit someone, if invited, is considered a rejection of further friendship.

They are referred to by this name in the same way that we speak of a day by its number in a month. One of the generals of Alexander the Great, Seleuk Nicator, founded an empire that stretched from Asia Minor to India. He installed a new calendar which was essentially the same as the one that had been in use for some time in Syria. It contained twelve months of 30 days each and an additional five days at the end of the year. Every fourth year an extra day within six days was added at the end of the year.

In Persia under the Sassanids, as well as in Armenia and Cappadocia, the official time system was twelve months 30 days, followed by another five days at the end of the year. However, Arab astronomers said that the Sasanian year of twelve 30-day months was adjusted to the seasons, intercalating a month every 120 years.


Days 5 and 6: At this time, business organizations begin to resume their work, but the day always starts with fireworks. In terms of energy, the 5th and 6th days of the New Year are considered a time of wealth and material values, so many people perform traditional rituals for wealth and money.

Water solves water in great abundance from the river, although no one has seen it. The ancient Babylonians used a calendar with alternating 29- and 30-day months. This system required the addition of an extra month three times every eight years, and as a further adjustment, the king periodically ordered that an extra extra month be added to the calendar.

The Babylonians, who lived in what is now Iraq, added an extra month to their years at irregular intervals. Their calendar, consisting of alternate 29-day and 30-day months, was about right with the lunar year. To balance the calendar with the solar year, the early Babylonians calculated that they needed to add an extra month three times every eight years. But this system has still not exactly made up for the accumulated differences between the solar year and lunar year.

Day 7: The morning of the seventh day also begins with prayer, but unlike the second day, it is often spent alone. Prayer for the well-being of relatives, the health of older relatives and the right path for children is considered an obligatory beginning of the holiday: this time is dedicated to the soul.


Days 8, 9 and 10: As a rule, by this time all people have already returned to work, but they always spend three evenings at a family dinner with their family. This is the time of traditional New Year's cuisine, intimate conversations and plans for the coming year.

Day 11: This day is dedicated to family ties between father-in-law and son-in-law. Each father-in-law arranges a personal holiday for his son-in-law and spends time with his daughter's husband, paying tribute to him.

The Chinese love holidays. They work very hard, so they treat all holidays very carefully. Especially the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom honor the New Year. They carefully calculate the days of celebration, taking into account the lunar months. It depends on them what date the New Year will be. There is no fixed date here. This holiday in China is called Chun Ze. Chinese New Year in 2020 begins on the fifth of February and is celebrated for 15 days.


Each day of the 15 New Year is dedicated to its own customs. The Chinese pay visits to their relatives, there they exchange gifts, New Year's tangerines. The next day they meet with friends. A particularly revered day in China is the day of worship of the God of wealth in temples. The Higher Forces are asked for protection for the home and family.


On the last day of the holiday, the Chinese traditionally hold a festival of lanterns. On February 19, 2020, the New Year will end. The period of the reign of the Metal Rat will come.

Symbol of 2020


According to the calendar, 2020 is the year of the White Rat. Some call it Earthy. There is such a legend that the Jade Emperor selected animals that are on earth into the calendar of zodiac signs. The pig, due to its laziness, overslept the reception, and the Rat replaced it.


The Chinese believe that in the year of the Rat 2020, success will be in the affairs of those people whose work is related to agriculture. Another coming year will be successful for those who plan to seal their relationship by marriage.


The Chinese have their own traditions of celebration. And the question "How to celebrate the holiday?" they do not occur. From the very beginning, 7 days before the New Year, everyone begins to carry out a general cleaning in their homes, throwing away old and unnecessary things. It is believed that in this way people get rid of bad luck and call wealth and prosperity to their homes. According to Feng Shui, energy should circulate in free space without debris and rubbish. And old things take energy.

General head cleaning


Be sure to do a general cleaning in the head. It is necessary to get rid of the negative, to resolve conflicts. In the new year, you should not take troubles, quarrels with you. We must boldly go into the coming year renewed, tuned in to a good wave. The Chinese believe that only with positive and hope for the best you need to enter the holidays.

home decoration


After cleaning, the Chinese are engaged in decorating the house. It can be garlands, and canvases with hieroglyphs, and much more. Red is considered a symbol of good luck, so this color is welcomed in jewelry. The Chinese believe that it is the color red that brings good luck into their lives.

Primary colors of Chinese New Year

But since the main colors of the coming year are yellow, brown, olive, then the decorations can have the same shades of colors. Symbolic lanterns of happiness and bright canvases are also hung in the yards. All of these are predominantly red.

Tangerines as a gift


Special attention is paid to gifts. It must be an even number, but not four (the symbol of death). Guests give the hosts a pair of tangerines, in return they also receive two tangerines. This fruit symbolizes wealth and prosperity.

Chic New Year's table

A chic table full of various dishes is a good old tradition for the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire. The hostesses prepare the most delicious and varied dishes. The Chinese believe that in this way they let happiness into their home.

Choosing the "right" clothes

The clothes of the right colors that the Chinese will wear on New Year's Eve is a very important New Year's Eve moment. In their opinion, harmony and prosperity will be the result of choosing the right shades of clothing. You also need to wear some new thing in order to always be with new things next year.

A large number of fireworks gives confidence that in this way the Chinese will awaken good luck and happiness, scare away troubles and troubles.

Chinese New Year traditions

Most of the celebration takes place on the street, in traditional attire. Main character holiday - Dragon. But the most important thing is that the meeting of the New Year holiday takes place with the whole family. This is an excellent occasion for meetings and communication with relatives living in distant provinces of China and far beyond its borders. The whole family gathers at the table. The table is set for all family members, even if someone could not come.

Traditional dishes

Each hostess tries to cook a lot of various and delicious dishes. Traditionally, it is meat and fish. One of the main dishes is Chinese dumplings. For the Chinese, this is a symbol of the fact that in the coming year a boy will be born in their family. Another dish is small rice balls. Someone cooks them with stuffing, someone prefers without additions. These balls are a symbol of family unity. Also on the table there are always tangerines and sweets, cookies with wishes, which are very fond of both adults and children.

On New Year's Eve, they always wish a good harvest, prosperity, career growth. A festive dinner unites several generations. And no matter how old relatives are, everyone finds common grounds for conversations, share news, events, joys. Everyone enjoys gatherings, communicating with each other.

Fireworks are an indispensable attribute of the Chinese New Year.

The launch of fireworks for the Chinese is an important part of the New Year's celebration. This is how they scare away evil spirits, this is how they say goodbye to the old year, full of life events and everyday life. This is how they celebrate the New Year with faith in the best. All relatives and friends are waiting for this moment, when the launch of bright lights will begin.

Present

On New Year's holidays it is customary to give gifts. As a rule, these are very practical things. But giving very expensive gifts is considered bad manners by the Chinese. The Red Hongbao Envelope is the most frequent gift. It's not just about money, it's about good wishes addressee. But still the most popular gift is banknotes.

chinese new year tree

The Chinese also decorate the New Year tree. This is not a Christmas tree or spruce like ours. This is an ordinary tree, which is decorated with colorful lanterns and garlands. This joyful event brings together all family members.

Fire Dragon Dances

And a lot of different events are held all over the country. These are dances of fiery Dragons, and various competitions, and the launch of lanterns. The last action turns into a whole view. After midnight, thousands of lanterns are released into the air. They rise high and thousands of lights illuminate the sky. The Chinese believe that these lights can indicate and light the way to paradise for the dead. This is a very ancient tradition. The inhabitants of China sacredly revere and continue it for more than one hundred years.

Children born in the year of the Rat

Children born in the year of the Rat will grow up open, cheerful, active. Parents, knowing what sign the born child will have, can be calm: it will be easy for these children to study, they need to be praised and supported more often. They learn from an early age to get what they want. They are characterized by childish sensitivity, insight, sociability and cheerfulness.
Every year there are more and more connoisseurs of the Eastern religion. More and more people from different parts of the world are joining the celebration of the Chinese New Year. Moreover, the features of the celebration of the Chinese New Year can be available to everyone. This is sincere laughter, positive emotions, a good atmosphere and being with family.

Happy New Year!

In 2020, according to the eastern calendar, the year of the Rat begins, which begins a new twelve-year cycle. Many are interested in when this will happen: with the first strikes of the chimes or in the East do people celebrate the New Year in a different way?

Chinese New Year

When 2020 officially comes around the world, the Celestial Empire will only prepare for this holiday. In the East, it is called Chun Jie, which means "spring festival" and symbolizes the awakening of nature. Most people in China still live by agricultural labor, so the lunar calendar is very important to them.

Each year according to the eastern calendar is associated with some kind of animal. There are 12 in total. The date of the change of the year depends on the phase of the moon: Chun Jie occurs on the second new moon after the winter solstice (January 21 - February 21).

Eastern zodiac

Time reckoning in the Chinese tradition is based on the division of the entire universe into five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, water) and the allocation of 12 sacred animals (rat, bull, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and a pig). In 2020, the year of the Rat is coming, the most cunning animal, according to the legend of the ancient Chinese. According to this zodiac, they live not only in the Celestial Empire, but also in the Land of the Rising Sun, Mongolia, Korea, and Vietnam.

The complete cycle of the eastern zodiac is 60 years. Every 12 years, the owner of the year is replaced, which passes from one element to another. In 2020, the cycle started in 1984, led by the Wood Rat, will continue. The elements change every two years. In 2020, the era of metal begins.

There are three versions of how the animals were chosen:

  • The Jade Emperor, who rules in heaven, once wished to meet 12 of the most interesting animals living on earth. His assistant chose a rat, which he instructed to send an invitation to heaven to a cat, a bull, a tiger, a rabbit, a dragon, a snake, a horse, a sheep, a monkey, a rooster, and a dog. The rat completed the task, but deceived the cat, considering him a contender for his place. The emperor, seeing 11 animals, became angry and ordered to bring another one, which would be the first one that his servant would come across on earth. It turned out to be a Pig.
  • The Buddha invited 12 animals to the Chun Ze festival. As the guests appeared, the Buddha gave each a year of reign. There was a cat among the animals, but there was no rabbit.
  • All the animals living on earth were supposed to come to say goodbye to the Buddha. Only 12 of them came, and they were appointed guardians.

Comparing these legends, the Eastern sages came to the conclusion that it is necessary to combine the year of the cat and the rabbit.

When is 2020 according to the Chinese calendar?

A new twelve-year cycle will begin on January 25th. It is on this day that 4718 will be celebrated in the East. Its symbol will be the White Metal Rat. To find out what the 12 months will be like, it is important to consider the color of the year, its element and patron.

The element and color are determined by the last digits of the year, but not the eastern, but the Gregorian:

  • 4 and 5 - the element Wood, the color is blue and green;
  • 6 and 7 - the element of Fire, the color is pink and red;
  • 8 and 9 - the elements of the Earth, the color is yellow and ocher;
  • 0 and 1 - element Metal, color white;
  • 2 and 3 - the element Water, the color is black and blue.

2020 will start in the East on January 25th and the celebrations will last for 15 days. And before that, there will be careful preparation. It is especially important in the days after the winter solstice. Until the second new moon, the monster Nian (literally, the Year) rules, which does not want to let go of the departing owner and seeks to destroy everything around. But Nian does not like beauty, so the more elegant the house is, the more his monster will be afraid.

The Mistress of 2020, the White Metal Rat, is an ambitious animal with a sense of purpose. The year promises to be eventful, you won't have to relax. With effort, you can expect good results from the Rat.

Traditions and rituals

Whatever the color of the year, in China, all decorations are traditionally red. According to legend, once Nian was very frightened of a child in red clothes, so he immediately left the residents alone. The second tradition is the cleansing of the home and soul. The third is a festive table. Among the treats, there must be jiaozi (outwardly reminiscent of dumplings) as a wish for the birth and well-being of sons. So that there is always prosperity in the house, a dish with tangerines and oranges is placed on the table.

Every day has its own traditions:

  • On the night of the celebration, the whole family gathers together. It is good when several generations sit at the same table. At night, the house should have a lot of light and decorations. When the year 2020 arrives according to the Eastern calendar, thousands of fireworks will fly into the sky as a greeting to the Rat.
  • The second day is the day of the son-in-law. It is customary to visit each other, visit distant relatives.
  • The third day is the day of sacrifice. It is customary to make figures out of paper and then burn them.
  • From the fourth to the sixth day they meet Chun Jie with friends.
  • The seventh and eighth days are spent in a quiet family circle, without noise and fun.
  • The ninth day is the day of memory of ancestors. The number 9 is symbolic here, which in the Christian tradition is also associated with remembrance.
  • After 10 days, they prepare for the Lantern Festival, which completes the New Year's Eve. Lanterns light the way for the departing symbol and the souls of the dead to heaven.

How is New Year celebrated in China? video

Upcoming Chinese New 2017 Year of the Rooster, differs from ours, if only by the fact that for the Chinese, any event in life is permeated with a spirit - evil or good, but always alive. This means that he should either be appeased or driven away if he came with bad intentions, or treated and honored if his arrival will bring good to the family.

The Chinese live according to the lunisolar (Chinese) calendar, so their chronology does not coincide with what we are used to. For example, in 2016, the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire celebrated the advent of the 4714 New Year of the Monkey, which took place on February 8th.

In 2017, the Chinese New Year begins on January 28th.

It is not for nothing that this event is otherwise called the Spring Festival, because for the Chinese this date symbolizes the beginning of sowing (often several spikelets of rice are inserted into the buttonhole of outerwear as a symbol of the abundance of the harvest). All Chinese in honor of such an event gather at their native hearth - in the house of their parents. If someone is away, then they definitely try to be in time for the family table - this is the most enduring tradition of celebrating the Chinese New Year.

Chinese New Year celebration

Gifts are not common in China. However, after the date of the first day of the Chinese New Year comes, parents always give their children money in a red envelope with the hope of their material well-being. Greeting cards are also hard to come by in China. But the red color hits the eye from all possible places - red is the main color of the New Year. After all, he is so afraid of the evil spirit, which the Chinese call the New Year. It should also be driven away with the noise of fireworks and loud laughter. Houses are decorated with many red lanterns and scrolls with good wishes to their family, protecting the home from evil spirits.

In honor of the New, the people of China will change old clothes for new ones, clean their houses (so that the favorable energy of the house circulates freely in it and does not stagnate), and prepare treats. Their favorite dish is dumplings, whose shape resembles an ingot of gold - a symbol of prosperity. Often houses are decorated with tangerines, always eight pieces - a number symbolizing infinity.

When does Chinese New Year 2017 end?

The Chinese or Oriental New Year is a grand event that lasted a whole month in the old days, but now, with a modern busy lifestyle, the people of China cannot afford so many days off, and holiday ends on the fifteenth day (in 2017 this date falls on February 11) the huge Chinese Lantern Festival.

| Eastern calendar

Eastern (Chinese) calendar of zodiac signs

The Eastern calendar, which has been in force for several thousand years in Vietnam, Kampuchea, China, Korea, Mongolia, Japan and some other Asian countries, was compiled during the time of the semi-legendary Emperor Huang Di in the middle of the third millennium BC. The Eastern calendar is a 60-year cyclical system. It is based on the astronomical cycles of the Sun, Earth, Moon, Jupiter and Saturn. The 60-year cycle includes a 12-year Jupiter cycle and a 30-year Saturn cycle. The most important for the life of nomads, and in those days the main peoples of the East were nomadic tribes, was considered the 12-year period of Jupiter. The ancient Chinese and Japanese believed that the normal movement of Jupiter brings benefits and virtues.

Dividing the path of Jupiter into twelve equal parts and giving each part the name of a certain animal, the peoples of Asia created a solar-Jupiter 12-year calendar cycle. Legend has it that all the animals were invited by the Buddha to celebrate the first New Year. The Buddha promised to give the animals a whole year each, which would be named after them. Only 12 animals came to the Buddha's invitation - a rat, a bull, a tiger, a rabbit, a dragon, a snake, a horse, a sheep, a monkey, a rooster, a dog. The pig was the last to meet the Buddha.

According to another legend, the Buddha summoned animals before leaving the earth. A rat, a bull, a tiger, a rabbit, a dragon, a snake, a horse, a sheep, a monkey, a rooster, a dog and a pig came to say goodbye to the Buddha. The grateful Buddha gave these 12 animals one year of reign each.

The Eastern calendar begins with the year of the rat and ends with the year of the pig. It is widely believed in the East that these animals have the ability to endow those born in this year of the animal with certain traits, both good and bad.

Jupiter completes five rotations in sixty years. This number corresponded to the worldview of Chinese natural philosophy. The number five was a symbol of the five elements of nature - wood, fire, metal (gold), water, earth, which correspond to color designations (blue, red, yellow, white, black).
The Chinese sixty-year-old was formed as a result of the combination of the duodecimal cycle ("earthly branches"), for each year of which the name of the animal was assigned, and the decimal cycle of the "elements" ("heavenly branches"): five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, water) , each of which corresponded to two cyclic signs, personifying the male and female principles (therefore, in the Chinese calendar there are consecutive years corresponding to different animals, but one element).

12 animals, 5 elements - hence the cycle of the eastern calendar is 60 years. This cycle begins with the year of the Wood Rat and ends with the year of the Water Pig. The next 60-year cycle of the Eastern calendar began on February 2, 1984. Animal years repeat every 12 years, and the elements - every 10 years.
The choice of these planets when creating the eastern calendar is explained by the fact that the Sun influences the development of the human spirit, the Moon influences the physical development of the body, Jupiter controls the behavior of people in public life, and the planet Saturn forms the individual characteristics of a person.

Recently, the Eastern calendar has become increasingly popular in Russia. There is no fixed date for the Eastern New Year. New Year according to the eastern calendar comes on the first new moon, which occurs in the zodiac sign Aquarius. The Sun enters Aquarius on January 20 or 21 and ends on February 18. Therefore, the New Year according to the eastern calendar comes from January 20 to February 18, at which time one fabulous animal passes the reins of power to another.

Eastern calendar signs

Years of the animal according to the eastern calendar

Zoological name of the year. Years of birth of people, the year of the animal according to the eastern calendar.

Elements of the signs of the eastern calendar

The Eastern calendar suggests the presence, each element corresponds to certain colors. The elements change in the following order: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Thus, the cycle is completely repeated after 60 years.
You can determine your element by the last digit of the year of your birth:

"4" or "5" - Tree (color green, blue)
"6" or "7" - Fire (color red, pink)
"8" or "9" - Earth (yellow, lemon, ocher)
"0" or "1" - Metal (white color)
"2" or "3" - Water (black, blue)

Each of the elements slightly changes the animal that personifies the year, giving it a peculiar shade. For example, the Fire Goat - active, active, possessing creative abilities, differs from the Earth Goat - a restrained, dry realist, busy with earthly, practical affairs.
You can use the eastern horoscope to improve mutual understanding with your family, friends and relatives by identifying their signs and elements, which means understanding the deep essence and motives of actions. Animal signs will help determine the prospects of relationships between people (friendly, love or business).
It is better to start with the general characteristics of the animal sign.
Even more accurate data can be obtained by determining the animal sign of the hour of birth. According to Chinese astrology, the day is divided into 12 periods, each of which corresponds to a certain animal sign. This means that a person born in the hour of any animal will have the features of this sign. Here are the correspondences of birth time to animal signs:

23.00 - 01.00 - time of the Rat
01.00 - 03.00 - Ox time
03.00 - 05.00 - Tiger time
05.00 - 07.00 - Rabbit time
07.00 - 09.00 - Dragon time
09.00 - 11.00 - Snake time
11.00 - 13.00 - Horse time
13.00 - 15.00 - Sheep time
15.00 - 17.00 - Monkey time
17.00 - 19.00 - Rooster time
19.00 - 21.00 - Dog time
21.00 - 23.00 - Boar time

Eastern calendar signs

Chinese astrologers divide all animal signs into four groups (three in each). It is generally accepted that people born under the signs of the same group have similar characteristics that determine the course of their thoughts, which ultimately allows them to get along well with each other, support each other and get along together. This does not mean at all that they have the same character or actions, just the innate features of their personalities successfully complement each other and contribute to the disclosure of the best sides of other people from the same group. It has been observed that partnerships, friendships and especially marriages between those born under the signs of the same group are most successful.

Competitors- , And . All these signs are very gravitate toward rivalry and decisive action. Rats need the self-confidence and courage of the Dragon, because. extremely insecure. In turn, the Dragon is too direct and sometimes he just needs the quick wit of the Rat or even the cunning of the Monkey. The latter highly appreciate the intelligence of the Rat and the enthusiasm of the Dragon.
Intellectuals- , And . People belonging to these signs are great pragmatists, strong personalities, often endowed with great abilities, self-confident, purposeful and decisive. Among them there are thinkers and seers. The Bull is constant and firm, but it is favorably influenced by the brightness of the Rooster and the charm and dexterity of the Snake. The directness of the Rooster is balanced by the diplomatic Snake or the self-confident Ox, and the Snake, with all its ambition, can reach great heights if it is assisted by the Ox or the Rooster.
Independent- , And . These people - emotional, impulsive, restless and extremely principled - are a kind of "free spirits" of the Chinese zodiac. The Horse is a born strategist, but in order to translate something into reality, she needs a decisive Dog or an impulsive Tiger. He can also give an outlet to the restlessness of the Horse, while only the Dog is able to calm her down. The Tiger will also benefit from communicating with the Dog - her unfailing good nature will keep him from excessive cruelty.
Diplomats- (Cat), and. People of these signs are restrained, unsophisticated, not great intellectuals, they are not attracted by risk. But they are modest and sympathetic, sociable and sensitive, tenderly care for each other and are always happy to do something nice. The sagacity of the Rabbit balances the generosity of the Sheep, and the latter needs a sense of the priorities that the Rabbit gives her. The power of the Boar complements the condescending nature of the Sheep and the strategic thinking of the Rabbit.

The signs of the eastern calendar are often depicted in a circle in a certain order, sometimes compass directions are marked on it. Looking at such a circle, it is easy to see that each sign is directly opposite the other sign. These are antagonistic signs, and they are considered absolutely incompatible! There are six such pairs, and within each pair an astrological conflict invariably develops. The causes of these conflicts lie deep in the nature of people born under opposite signs; they are involuntary and manifest themselves mainly in the way they react to the surrounding reality and other people. Here are the couples:

The validity of these observations is confirmed, among other things, by the fact that in China, parents, as a rule, do not approve of the marriage of children with people 6 years older or younger. They are well aware that conflicts and insoluble problems will certainly arise in such a union, and therefore, in love, this incompatibility is very dangerous to ignore. Another thing is friendship, which in most cases is not harmed by astrological conflicts, because. friends don't usually live together. In business, however, incompatibility can also get in the way, because completely different people in this case are forced to spend a large amount of time side by side day after day.
Do not despair if the results of the analysis of relationships according to the eastern horoscope are disappointing; pay attention to the signs and elements corresponding to the month and hour of birth, because under their influence, the characteristic features of a person's personality can both weaken and intensify.
In China, they say that if the fate destined for a person from above cannot be changed, then his lot can be improved. They believe in the unity of "tian", "ti" and "zhen" (heaven, earth and man), which means that the two components of a happy fate - earthly luck and human (the third - heavenly luck) - are in the hands of the person himself.

Age oriental calendar by year horoscope

First life - Rooster (baby)
Second life - MONKEY (1-3 years)
Third life - GOAT (from 3 to 7 years)
Fourth life - HORSE (7-12 years old)
Fifth life - BULL (12-17 years old)
Sixth life - RAT (17-24 years old)
Seventh life - BOAR (24 - 31 years old)
Eighth Life - DOG(31-42-)
Ninth Life - SNAKE(42-54)
Tenth life - DRAGON (55-70 years)
Eleventh life - CAT (70 - 85 years old)
Twelfth life - TIGER (death)