Korean calendar
From Free net encyclopedia
The traditional Korean calendar is directly derived from the Chinese calendar. Until the late nineteenth century Korea was a vassal state of China. In recognition of this relationship, the ruler of Korea would make a point of accepting the new Chinese calendar from the Emperor of China each year with great pageantry. The calendar had:
- The Chinese zodiac of 12 Earthly Branches (animals), which were used for counting hours and years;
- Ten Heavenly Stems, which were combined with the 12 Earthly Branches to form a sixty-year cycle;
- Twenty-four turning points (jeolgi 節氣 절기) in the year, spaced roughly 15 days apart;
- Lunar Months.
The Korean calendar traditionally counts years from 2333 BCE, the date of the legendary founding of Korea by Dangun.
The lunar calendar is rarely used now in modern Korea except for the observation of traditional holidays (cf. Korean Lunar Festivals) and the marking of birthdays by older Koreans.
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See also
- List of Korea-related topics
- Sexagenary cycle
- Chinese calendar
- Japanese calendar
- Festivals of the lunar calendar.
- List of Korea-related topics
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