- Gordon Dumoulin
"Winter Wonderland"... the accuracy of the Chinese lunisolar calendar
The Chinese lunisolar calendar is very accurate this year for Beijing. Yesterday marked 立冬 (Lìdōng), 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿..... and we woke up in a magical winter wonderland...
The Chinese calendar is usually known in the world for the symbols such as the 12 zodiac animals rotating every year. But lesser known are the 𝟮𝟰 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝘀 (节气 jiéqì) in each Chinese lunar year calendar.
The 24 solar terms, based on the sun's position in the zodiac, were created by farmers in ancient China to guide the agricultural affairs and farming activities. The 24 solar terms reflect the changes in climate, natural phenomena, agricultural production, and other aspects of human life, including clothing, food, housing, and transportation. The 24 solar terms play important roles and have greatly influenced people's basic needs in life.
Each term has its own associated customs, traditions, and recipes well alive today. Also Traditional Chinese Medicine has made use use of the solar terms since ancient times, each posing opportunities or threats for your holistic health with related suggestions for typical food, way of life or herbal medicine. Li Dong "the Beginning of Winter" is usually celebrated with 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗱𝘂𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 to strengthen and warming up for upcoming winter.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀, the annual 24 solar term cycle but also the 12-year or 60-year cycles or the multiples of these cycles to 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱.
The calendar reminds us that we people are just a tiny part of a constant moving entity or organism with countless parameters ranging from within our own personal environment or mother earth to beyond in the universe. Disrespecting or ignoring our humbleness, legacy and responsibility as 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆 will be fired back sooner or later. As we can see today with the environment.... Even during COP26, some humans still (pretend to) claim the managerial status on how to handle and control the deteriorating environment and nature in respect of timing and objectives.
Looking back at the 60 year-cycle of the year of the Ox, we need to reconsider our actions and priorities, and 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝟲𝟬 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 when it comes to environment and our right to peaceful existence as a species among ourselves and on this planet (and beyond). And if this change would feel like a sacrifice or loss, think again for our future generations....
𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥...