China Calendar for Year 2011

China Internet Information Center

January 2011

Holidays and Observances:

1: New Year’s Day

11: Day of Winter Sacrifice (8th day of the 12th lunar month) on which porridge made with cereals, beans, nuts and dried fruit is traditionally served.

26: Preliminary Eve (23th of the 12th lunar month). According to legend, the kitchen god delivers reports on families to the Jade Emperor of Heaven. To induce the kitchen god to speak favorably, people traditionally offer sacrifices of candy or sweet, sticky cake to him.

30: World Leprosy Day observed annually on the last Sunday in January.

Blacksmith’s Day, an annual celebration of the Jino ethnic group in southwest China, held on a day selected by the clan chief during the 12th lunar month. One member of each family in the village is selected to go hunting, bringing back a pair of bamboo rats for the blacksmith and other game for the clan chief. Bamboo rats are an important food source for the Jino; and the rodents are honored as representatives of ancestors by the Blang, another southwestern group.

Notes:

1. In the traditional calendar, the new moon indicates the first day of a lunar month; the full moon marks the 15th day.

2. Dates in red are official holidays. To give workers longer holidays during the year, the Saturday and Sunday immediately preceding or following the extended holiday are official workdays. In 2011, there are five official working Saturdays and Sundays respectively on January 30 (Sunday), February 12 (Saturday), April 2 (Saturday), October 8 (Saturday) and October 9 (Sunday).

3. The 24 Seasonal Division Points:

	Order & Name of Seasonal Division Point	Sun's Position at Ecliptic	Gregorian Calendar Date
Spring	1.Beginning of Spring 2.Rain Water 3.Waking of Insects 4.Vernal Equinox 5.Pure Brightness 6.Grain Rain	315° 330° 345° 0° 15° 30°	4 or 5 February 19 or 20 February 5 or 6 March 20 or 21 March 4 or 5 April 20 or 21 April
Summer	7.Beginning of Summer 8.Grain Budding 9.Grain in Ear 10.Summer Solstice 11.Slight Heat 12.Great Heat	45° 60° 75° 90° 105° 120°	5 or 6 May 21 or 22 May 5 or 6 June 21 or 22 June 7 or 8 July 22 or 23 July
Autumn	13.Beginning of Autumn 14.Limit of Heat 15.White Dew 16.Autumnal Equinox 17.Cold Dew 18.Frost's Descent	135° 150° 165° 180° 195° 210°	7 or 8 August 23 or 24 August 7 or 8 September 22 or 23 September 8 or 9 October 23 or 24 October
Winter	19.Beginning of Winter 20.Slight Snow 21.Great Snow 22.Winter Solstice 23.Slight Cold 24.Great Cold	225° 240° 255° 270° 285° 300°	7 or 8 November 22 or 23 November 7 or 8 December 21 or 22 December 5 or 6 January 20 or 21 January