The Lunar Calendar and The Lunar New Year

Since the ancient times, there have been two common conventions for measuring one “earth-year”.  One way is by measuring the time it takes the earth to complete one cycle around the sun, which gave rise to the solar calendar.  And the other was to base the year on 11, 12 or 13 complete moon cycles (lunar month), which gave rise to the lunar calendar.  It is interesting to note that the solar calendar can be traced back to ancient Egypt with the observations of the Sirius star and the sun.  On the other hand, the lunar calendar was observed by the Babylonians and spread to other cultures like China, Arabia, India, and later on to Korea.

Hence the lunar calendar system is one that is observed by many cultures and can’t be said as “belonging” to China exclusively.  Also, many lunar calendars are actually strictly lunisolar calendar systems like that in use in China and Korea since one earth-year is adjusted accordingly to coincide with the solar year.  Thus, one year would have between 12 or 13 lunar months accordingly.  This is very important for Chinese and Korean culture since if the year-length weren’t adjusted, the days for the beginning and end of the planting and harvest seasons would have to be adjusted every year.  The following is a very short informational clip on the lunisolar calendar.

Continuing from the last post which discussed “The Chinese Hour”, the Korean 한문[漢文] educational resource named 《계몽편 / 啓蒙篇》, 《천편 / 天篇》 mentions the elementary reading material below.  The previous post mentioned that there are “normally” thirty days in a lunar month and twelve (lunar) months in a lunar year.  IMPORTANT NOTE :  The following is ONLY meant for 한문[漢文] reading practice for a historical fact.  Hence, the following does not necessarily represent the original and actual written historical records.

月或有小月	월혹유소월
小月則二十九日	소월즉이십구일
爲一月	위일월
歲或有閏月	세혹유윤월
有閏則十三月	유윤즉십삼월
成一歲	성일세

[月 – month][或 – on some cases][有 – there is][小 – small][月 – month]
[小 – small][月 – month][則 – if ~ then][二十九 – twenty-nine][日 – day]
[爲 – become][一 – one][月 – month]
[歲 – year][或 – on some cases][有 – there is][閏 – extra/intercalary][月 – month]
[有 – there is][閏 – extra/intercalary month][則 – if ~ then] [十三 – thirteen] [月 – month]
[成 – make][一 – one][歲 – year]

With regards to months, on some cases there are “small months”
If it is “small month” then (there will be) twenty-nine days
(And that) becomes one month
With regards to years, on some cases there are “extra/intercalary months”
If there is an “extra/intercalary month” then there will be thirteen months
And that makes one year

The lunar calendar is still kept in mind in countries like China and Korea.  Also this year, the new lunar year will start on February 10, 2013.  In Korea, the lunar new year is one of the most important occasions of the year (명절/名節).  The lunar new year’s first day is called “설날” and the first lunar month is called 정월[正月] literally meaning 正 – first 月 – month.  On 설날, Koreans eat 떡국 which is basically glutinous rice cake with soup.  떡국 represents “pureness” and implies a fresh mind and start for the New Year.  It is also a common custom in Korea to eat 떡국 in order to age one year.  Some Koreans jokingly avoid eating 떡국 to avoid aging.  Also, Koreans pay tribute to their elders by doing a New Year’s bow, called 세배[歲 – Year 拜 – bow] and their elders in turn give them money allowance for the New Year called 새뱃돈.  In the Philippines, families who have been influenced by the Filipino – Chinese community here eat a similar rice cake called “tikoy” (from Hokkien 甜粿) in the belief of becoming better and more prosperous in the coming year.

떡국

Koreans doing 세배[歲拜]

Philippines’ tikoy

On the first lunar month, 정월[正月], there is also a certain occasion that Koreans look forward to.  And this is called 정월 대보름[正月 大보름], which is on the first full moon of the year.  대보름[大보름] literally means 대[大 – big] and 보름 – fifteen days, “big (moon) on the fifteenth day”.  As we know, the lunar month begins with the New Moon or the “invisible moon”.  One lunar cycle is about 29 ½ days and thus the Full Moon occurs about the 14^th  or 15^th night of the lunar month.  On 정월 대보름[正月 大보름], Koreans eat nuts and grains stored over the past winter called 오곡밥과 9가지 나물.  오곡밥[五穀밥] means 五 – five 穀 – grain 밥 – rice.  It is believed that these nuts and grains are good for skin beauty and also helps prevent skin rashes.  Also, when Koreans see the moon on 정월 대보름[正月 大보름], they make a wish on the Full Moon.

Full Moon – 보름달 or 만월[滿月]

오곡밥[五穀밥]

Koreans making a wish on the First Full Moon

This will be all for now.  This upcoming Lunar New Year, be sure to greet all your Korean friends and Korean loved-ones “새해 福 많이 받으세요”.