The standard lunisolar calendar utilized in China designates years with a mixture of celestial stems and earthly branches, leading to a 60-year cycle. In 1961, this method designated the 12 months because the “Yr of the Metallic Ox,” signifying diligence, dependability, energy, and willpower. People born throughout this 12 months are believed by some to embody these traits. This calendar system is distinct from the Gregorian calendar and performs a big function in figuring out conventional Chinese language festivals and observances.
Understanding this conventional timekeeping technique offers invaluable insights into Chinese language tradition and historical past. It governs the timing of great cultural occasions, such because the Lunar New Yr and different festivals, shaping social customs and household traditions. The 12 months’s designation inside the sexagenary cycle additionally holds symbolic which means in Chinese language astrology and is commonly consulted for fortune-telling and compatibility predictions. This technique has been integral to Chinese language society for hundreds of years, reflecting a deep connection to agricultural cycles and celestial observations.