China's Lunar Calendar 2013 03-06

Click here for the introduction to the Round and Square series "Calendars and Almanacs" 
Today's date:                                                                                * 

This is one in a never-ending series—following the movements of the calendar—in Round and Square perpetuity. It is today's date in the Chinese lunar calendar, along with basic translation and minimal interpretation. Unless you have been studying lunar calendars (and Chinese culture) for many years, you will likely find yourself asking "what does that mean?" I would caution that "it" doesn't "mean" any one thing. There are clusters of meaning, and they require patience, reflection, careful reading, and, well, a little bit of ethnographic fieldwork. The best place to start is the introduction to "Calendars and Almanacs" on this blog. I teach a semester-long course on this topic and, trust me, it takes a little bit of time to get used to the lunar calendar. Some of the material is readily accessible; some of it is impenetrable, even after many years. 

As time goes on, I will link all of the sections to lengthy background essays. This will take a while. In the meantime, take a look, read the introduction, and think about all of the questions that emerge from even a quick look at the calendar.

 

Section One
Solar Calendar Date

六

日

三期星

Third month, sixth day

Astral Period Three

(Wednesday, March 6) 

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Section Two

Beneficent Stars

陰續麒

德世麟

Unicorn

Continued Generations

Yin Virtue 

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Section Three
Auspicious Hours
申辰子

吉中中

酉己丑

凶吉凶

戌午寅

中吉吉

亥未卯

凶中吉

23:00-01:00  In-Between
01:00-03:00 Inauspicious
03:00-05:00 Auspicious
05:00-07:00 Auspicious

07:00-09:00 In-Between
09:00-11:00 Auspicious
11:00-13:00  Auspicious
13:00-15:00 In-Between

15:00-17:00 Auspicious
17:00-19:00 Inauspicious
19:00-21:00 In-Between
21:00-23:00 Inauspicious

The hours above are for Hong Kong. It is up to you if you want to recalibrate or to assume that the cyclicality of the calendar "covers" the rest of the world. This is a greater interpretive challenge than you might think.
 

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Section Four
Activities to Avoid 

 忌 
除造合

服酒醬
Mixing Sauces

Stove Work

Discarding Clothing

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 Section Five 
Cosmological Information 
廿

五
辛

未

土
壁

定

Twenty-fifth day (first lunar month)

Cyclical day: xinwei (8/60)

Phase (element): Earth

Constellation: Room (14/28)

Jianchu Cycle: Decide (5/12)* 
*Repeated from yesterday (a relatively infrequent occurrence).

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Section Six
Appropriate Activities 
(and Miscellaneous Information)

宜

動嫁祭

土娶祀
上納祈
樑采福
作移入
灶徙學

安開出

葬市行

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氣死

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俱復血

將喪忌

Appropriate Activities

Paying Reverence
Inquiring (into) Fortune
Entering Study 

Going Out (and about)

Marriage Ceremonies

Grain Payments

Moving Residences

Opening Markets
Moving Soil 

Erecting Beams
Stove Work

Positioning Graves 

Death Vapors

Miscellaneous Information

Blood Taboo

Repeated Mournings

No-Exceptions General

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 Section Seven
Inauspicious Star
白   人
White, Person

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Section Eight
Miscellaneous Activities 

厠
廚灶

Toilet
Kitchen, Stove