If you’ve observed the
Chinese Lunar Calendar, you may realize that there are 7 “leap months” every 19
years. In 2014, we have a rare leap
month of September. How rare? The last was 182 years ago, i.e. 1832, and
the next being 2109, i.e. 95 years from now. If you have a baby to be born in the leap
month of Lunar September (October 24 – November 22), he or she would have to
live to the age of 95 in order to celebrate a real birthday.
How Does a Leap Month Occur?
In China’s Lunar Calendar, Otsuki months has 30 days, Satsuki 29
days, 12 months a year of 354
days or 355 days, running short
of about 11 days comparing to a normal
calendar year.
3 years down, there will
be a short of about one month. In the long term, there will be days of confused timing
and strange phenomenon. To solve
this problem, the “intercalary”
approach is being used. i.e. to add one month to that year, and that added
month is called intercalary month or leap month. Hence the leap year will have 13 months. 2014 is one of such leap years and has two Lunar
Septembers.
How is the leap month being determined?
The Lunar Calendar has 24 solar terms, the odd number as "jie-qi", even as "zhong-qi." The odd and even appear alternately
every 15 days.
According to regulations, each ordinary Lunar
month must have a combination of jie-qi and zhong-qi. Only those months lacking one
will be defined as the Leap Month. For
example, in 2014, Lunar September has only one solar term, and the next one
falls on the 1st of Lunar October, hence September becomes a leap
month, and there will be two Septembers in the Lunar Calendar.
In fact, there is scientific explanation for the rare
occurrence of leap September. It is understood that due
to the Earth's perihelion at
different speeds and
movement, the possibility of leap month
occurs toward winter is very small.
According to statistics, the Lunar March,
April, May, June,
July has more occurrences. Leap November only occurred once in 1650, leap December and
January had never happened.
Occupy Central - September 2014
The
Implications of a Rare Leap September
Metaphysicians believe,
"Chinese people are traditionally scared of rare phenomenon”, hence many
seniors give red packets to their young family members as a means of
safeguarding.
Mid Autumn Festival usually occurs in September of western calendar. However 2014 Mid Autumn falls on September 8th which is the earliest in the recent 38 years. Why? Due to a leap September. The leap September also induces two Chung Yeung (double-nine) Festival. According to tradition, people will only
celebrate the first one and not the one on the leap month.
Some Chinese believe if you
were born in a leap month, and if that leap month occurs again ever in your
life, you should go buy gold and that will bring you great fortune.
Many believe leap September
brings disasters and political instability.
Believe it or not, ‘Occupy Central’ was kicked off on September 28
(September 5 in Lunar Calendar), although not in the Leap September. I was forced to work from home yesterday, due
to the road blocks. Many shops in
Central, Admiralty, Causeway
Bay Hong Kong .
Well, no one knows how long this is going to last!
Others believe political
instability may not be due to a leap September, it could be the effect of the
year of Horse and Goat. Looking back, China ’s Cultural Revolution happened in 1966
(Horse) and Hong Kong ’s Riot happened in 1967
(Goat). Will you consider it as
coincidence or superstition?
Hong Kong Travel Blog - Leap September and Occupy Central
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