Time

Oh, yes. I am a round-eye living in China and you get a stright forward 'yes' from my side. Got married in China almost six years ago and in the beginning there were just too many holidays to me. This festival and that calendar entry and so forth. To my big surprise nobody (I mean no Chinese person) could explain the everyday calendar you can find all over. Most people tell you something about the 29th of February and look at you in pretty strange way when telling them 'that's the Western calendar'.

So in a nutshell I have been developing computer software for the last forty years. And there it was. My new project the first bilingual Chinese/English western/lunar/solar calendar:

• The first fact you need to understand that there is three different calenders contributing to Chinese holidays/festivals
  • western year 12 months ~ 365/366 days ~ days/month 28-31
    • i.e. National Day 1st of October
  • lunar year 12/13 months ~ 354-384 days ~ days/month 29,30,59,60
    • i.e 元宵節 yuánxiāojié Lantern Festival ~ 15th of 1st lunar month
  • solar year 12 months ~ 365/366 days ~ days/month 28-32
    • i.e 立春 lìchūn start of spring ~ 1st of 1st solar month
• A lunar month always begins at a new moon; the 15/16th day is fullmoon\
  • some holidays are celebrated on two different days in North/South-China because of the different moon phases i.e 謝灶 xièzào Worshipping the kitchen god 23rd/24th day of 12th lunar month
• A solar month starts according sun longitude
  • 1st day of 1st solar month ~ Feb 4th or 5th
• Last but not least that sexagenary code (10earthly/12heavenly characters)
  • double code used for year in lunar calendar = zodiac sign
  • double code used for year / month / day in solar calendar
  • double code used for double hour of the day
    • 12 double hour per 2 hours each starting at 11:00pm

The magic button is the zodiac sign at the top right corner. Time- / calendar-graphics that will give you an instant idea what is really going on.

Wish you a successful Dragon Year 2012 (4710)

and have fun with the Chinese Calendar