Posted to Facebook - Chinese Custom & Festivities by Sin Fong Chan
Title: Lesson on Chinese Culture - When does the Year of the Horse begin in 2014?
Friday, 31st January is an important day for Chinese around the world, because this is the Chinese New Year's Day. Strictly speaking, this is the Chinese Lunar New Year's Day, Yin Li Xin Nian (阴历新年). However, this is NOT the beginning of the year of the Horse (马年).
Horse is one of the 12 zodiac animals or Sen Xiao (生肖), namely, Rat (Shu, 鼠), Ox (Niu, 牛), Tiger (Hu, 虎), Rabbit (Tu, 兔), Long (Long, 龙), Snake (Se, 蛇), Horse (Ma, 馬), Goat (Yang, 羊), Monkey (Ho, 猴), Rooster (Ji, 鸡), Dog (Gou, 狗), Pig (Zu, 猪).
2014 celebrates the year of the Horse. The New Year's Day represented by the Horse or any of the Zodiac animals in other years always falls on 4th February of the Gregorian calendar (格里高利历), or the day when spring begins in China. This day is the first day of the seasonal marker or solar term, Jie Qi (节气) known as Li Chun (立春), and marks the start of another year.
There are 24 solar terms which mark the various periods to assist farmers to decide when to plant or harvest crops. Therefore, the calendar is also known as the Agriculture calendar or Nong Li (农历). The New Year's day based on Nong Li is called the Nong Li Xin Nian (农历新年).
In short, the Year of the Horse for 2014 does NOT begin on 31st January but on Friday, 4th February, 2014.
Title: Lesson on Chinese Culture - When does the Year of the Horse begin in 2014?
Friday, 31st January is an important day for Chinese around the world, because this is the Chinese New Year's Day. Strictly speaking, this is the Chinese Lunar New Year's Day, Yin Li Xin Nian (阴历新年). However, this is NOT the beginning of the year of the Horse (马年).
Horse is one of the 12 zodiac animals or Sen Xiao (生肖), namely, Rat (Shu, 鼠), Ox (Niu, 牛), Tiger (Hu, 虎), Rabbit (Tu, 兔), Long (Long, 龙), Snake (Se, 蛇), Horse (Ma, 馬), Goat (Yang, 羊), Monkey (Ho, 猴), Rooster (Ji, 鸡), Dog (Gou, 狗), Pig (Zu, 猪).
2014 celebrates the year of the Horse. The New Year's Day represented by the Horse or any of the Zodiac animals in other years always falls on 4th February of the Gregorian calendar (格里高利历), or the day when spring begins in China. This day is the first day of the seasonal marker or solar term, Jie Qi (节气) known as Li Chun (立春), and marks the start of another year.
There are 24 solar terms which mark the various periods to assist farmers to decide when to plant or harvest crops. Therefore, the calendar is also known as the Agriculture calendar or Nong Li (农历). The New Year's day based on Nong Li is called the Nong Li Xin Nian (农历新年).
In short, the Year of the Horse for 2014 does NOT begin on 31st January but on Friday, 4th February, 2014.