When we speak of the eastern calendar, is primarily remembered, of course, on the Chinese calendar. It is fair and understandable - after all the Chinese system of chronology is the oldest. That the Chinese calendar was the basis for the national calendars of most countries in the region. Of course, in modern Asia that are integrated into the international community and subject to the processes of globalization, on an official level are "European", that is the Gregorian calendar. However, folk celebrations, major national holidays, significant due to traditions and way of life dates, as well as the very popular horoscope correspond exactly with the ancient Oriental calendar. This calendar, having basically the Chinese calendar, is well taken root in major Asian countries.

The Japanese and Chinese have much in common, and also calendar

Despite the fact that, historically, China and Japan contradictions abound and reasons for mutual dissatisfaction in their culture is much more common than it seems. Still - after all the Chinese civilization has had on traditional Japanese society, extremely isolated and "cooking in its own juices," the greatest impact. Japanese calendar is clear proof of that. The structure and principles of this traditional Chinese calendar, time periods which received Japanese names that reflect the content and features of local life.

As a general east, the Japanese calendar is based on the sixty-year cycle, is divided between the twelve zodiac animals, known by the Chinese tradition .  Also from China came to the custom reference years since the accession to the throne of the emperor ruling .  In Japan, this practice has been strengthened and developed by each new emperor after the accession chose the motto (nengo) his reign, the word or phrase on which it was called, and the era .  For example, the current Emperor Akihito rules under the motto "Peace and tranquility" ("Heisei"), therefore, in this embodiment chronology now goes 22nd year of the Heisei era (Akihito came to the throne in 1989) .  Even more ancient, truly, a Japanese version of reference year is the dating of the legendary date of the founding of the Japanese state for at least the legendary Emperor Jimmu in 660 BC .  This option is used behind the scenes in parallel with the countdown years of reign of the Emperor, at the end of the XIX century until 1945 was a government since the end of World War II deprived of official status .

With regard to the division of the year into local time periods, there is the Japanese calendar is also built on the principle of the Chinese lunar calendar, used as a criterion for the phase of the moon, and as the name of the month that elected associated with climate change and the growing season title .  Of course, in Japan to refer to this principle months we found their own names, which reflect national identity: 1st month - "the month of Friendship"; 2nd - "mid-spring"; 3rd - "month of growth"; 4th - "month utsugi" (named after a bush); 5th - "month rice crop"; Second - "dry"; 7th - "a month of writing poetry"; 8th - "mid-autumn"; 9th - "the month of chrysanthemum"; 10th - "a month of preparation of sake"; 11th - "midwinter"; 12th - "the end of the month Affairs" .  It should be added that the Japanese calendar recognizes two variants of dividing the month - both on seven-day week, and in the decades (Dzjun) .

Vietnam and Korea, too, can not escape the Chinese calendar

Common to all countries using the eastern calendar, it is the recognition of the sixty-year cycle divided between the twelve animals. However, embodiments are possible even in the list of the zodiac beings. For example, "zoo" of the Vietnamese calendar has certain differences from the accepted as the standard "animal list" of the Chinese calendar. Chinese, obschevostochny, the list contains the following creatures: tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, pig, rat, ox. Vietnamese sixty cycle include: mouse, ox, tiger, cat, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, chicken, dog and pig. And if you can conditionally accept for different variants of the same animal a bull and a buffalo, a rooster and a chicken, mouse and rat, then certainly in the case of a cat and a rabbit, as well as goat and sheep fundamental differences are unquestionable.

The rest of the Vietnamese calendar is almost entirely geared to Chinese calendar: just months formed in accordance with the phases of the moon, the New Year begins on the first day of the first lunar month, which is measured with the new moon. However, in the name of the month Vietnamese soriginalnichali simply identified their serial numbers. Here, for example, in the Korean calendar is also almost entirely built in the Chinese approach to the title of lunar months is more traditional, and takes into account the different seasons, and especially the rural folk calendar. By the way, the Korean calendar is most similar to the Chinese: even the names of the months in the agricultural calendar - a simple translation of the same title in the Chinese system.

Alexander Babitsky

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