Today, Chinese and many others in Asia and beyond, mark the end of the year of the pig and the beginning of the year of the rat. Although in most of Asia the relevant calendar for daily life is the ‘western’ Gregorian calendar, for religious and cultural purposes, the traditional Chinese calendar often sets the rules. And the Chinese new year begins on a different Gregorian date every year. How so and why is the traditional calendar so important?
The calendar, in Imperial China (until 1912), was of utmost importance; it was linked directly to the Emperor, and the ability to produce a correct calendar had been one of the central missions of government. A correct calendar meant that the Emperor—whose role was to harmonize heaven, earth, and humans—was attuned to the cosmos and did his job properly. The calendar was correct in as much as it predicted cosmic phenomena accurately.
Archeological and textual evidence for around three millennia suggests authorities in the region have created various calendars, along with their annual starting point – New Year’s Day. We have over 100 different calendars that were produced in China historically, with specific calendars being often associated with specific Imperial dynasties. These calendars were Luni-Solar (resembling the Hebrew calendar), relying on both lunar and solar cosmic cycles. Corresponding the two different cycles has always been a challenge, and it is also one of the main reasons the Chinese New Year’s Day fluctuates vis-à-vis the Gregorian (solar) calendar, but remains around January-February, hence its other name: Spring Festival.
Along with other astronomical and mathematical challenges—planetary adjustments, calculations, and observations—making sure the Emperor stands secure and legitimate was not an easy task. Indeed, not always did the predictions work as they were supposed to.
For example, by the late Ming dynasty (1368-1644), from the late 16th century, the calendar became inaccurate, and scholars throughout the realm sought ways to reform it. It was then, too, that Jesuit Christian missionaries made their way to China, and suggested new ways to fathom the Chinese calendar; hardly surprising when we recall that it was at that time that the Gregorian calendar was devised, and Jesuits were dominant in that project. And so, once the Ming dynasty fell, and a new dynasty, the Qing (1644-1911) took power, the new government decided to integrate the European Jesuit missionaries into the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, and have them produce a new calendar for the new dynasty. The calendar they created, by and large, is the one we use to celebrate the Chinese New Year today, and thus unfolds before us how global and interconnected the world had been, even before the World Wide Web.
Dr. Ori Sela is a Sinologist, specializing in China’s history during the past three centuries. He is the Chair of the East Asian Studies Department at Tel Aviv University and was a Fulbright Doctoral Fellow at Princeton University in 2004-2006.
Photos courtesy of Dr. Ori Sela.
The lion, symbolizing strength and authority, is often alluded to in the Chinese New Year (Lion dances, for example) for protecting the people and enabling a safe and smooth New Year. Here, at the Forbidden City in Beijing, from where the emperors began their ritual procession every New Year.