“When is your birthday?” You might be confused by your Chinese friends who keep changing their birthday dates every year. Or when you get notification on Facebook and send birthday wishes, they tell you “it’s actually not my real birthday today”.
Well, perhaps you already knew that many Chinese people today still consider their ‘real birthdays’ according to lunar calendar, and not according to Gregorian calendar, right?
Good luck to Chinese?
Two calendar systems still exist in Chinese culture. We have ‘official birthdays’ that we put in passports, birth certificates etc, that’s just to make things easy in the system, but to many Chinese people, they still prefer celebrating their birthdays according to lunar calendar.
Take my mom’s example, the date of the year she was born was on 11th February in Gregorian calendar. But most people in the family remember her birthday as the 4th day of the 1st month in Chinese lunar year, which is DURING Chinese New Year celebration!
There’s been so many memories of her birthdays being celebrated in Chinese New Year. Just imagine how weird it would be, if all in a sudden this is to be abolished.
Perhaps someone not from our culture would say, “… well, good luck to you Chinese people!”
But honestly, we would never think how life is easier if we stick to Gregorian calendar. Our calendar, the one that our ancestors use, has such importance to our lives that we never think it is too much trouble. It’s always been like this, we are used to asking each other “When is Dragon Boat Festival?” “Is Moon Cake Festival coming?” “When is Chinese New Year’s Eve next year?”
Jewish People’s Lunar Calendar
Similar to Chinese people, Jewish people is an ancient people. Jewish holidays are based on lunar calendars too. The calendars are quite similar to Chinese one. Even Sukkot falls almost on the same time as our Moon Cake Festival, which we celebrate on the 15th of our 8th month in Chinese lunar calendar.
Jewish people’s calendar is created by God, who designed this when He created the heavens and the earth.
Then God said, “Let lights in the expanse of the sky be for separating the day from the night. They will be for signs and for seasons and for days and years. (Genesis 1:14)
In Chinese, English and Hebrew, and so many other languages, a month is called a ‘month’ because of ‘moon’. When moon reappears, that is the beginning of a new month. A cycle is 29 or 30 days.
Why was Calendar Needed?
The creator put moon and sun in the sky so we may know ‘seasons’. Based on the climate in the land of Canaan, God set up HIS festivals (moadims) such as the feast of firstfruits, the feasts of weeks, and the feast of ingathering. It gives farmers a hint. Before a watch was invented, ancient people used sundials right? It’s hard to imagine that you cannot google to find out the latest weather report. But God created these festivals and a calendar, so the people of the land would know exactly when to mellow earth, sow seeds, fertilize land, harvest etc.
The rain season in this land starts after the feast of ingathering, also known as Sukkot! People would know that they should finish harvesting before Sukkoth not just because the festival is coming, but also because it will rain soon!
Though from Sukkot to Pesach (Passover) it is the rain season, it doesn’t rain everyday. In Chinese we call God “lao-tien-yei” which literally translates as “the Old Grandpa in Heavens”. There is a grandpa looking after the people, and if He doesn’t send rain, people starve.
‘Let us now fear Adonai Eloheinu,
who gives rain in its season
—fall rain and spring rain—
who reserves for us the appointed weeks of harvest.’ (Jeremiah 5:24)
The Creator has a unqiue relationship with Israel. He is very specific to this people, and gave them clear instruction on ‘when to harvest’.
“You are to keep the Feast of Sukkot for seven days, after gathering in the produce from your threshing floor and winepress.” (Deu 16:13)
After Sukkoth, the feast of Ingathering, people would keep eating their produce for months…. but when would they enjoy fresh crop? The best weather report is still according to Creator’s calendar, “Feast of firstfruits” and “Feast of Weeks”.
“Speak to Bnei-Yisrael and tell them: When you have come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you are to bring the omer of the firstfruits of your harvest to the kohen.(Lev 23:10)
Omer is a measuring unit, it was used for measuring manna too. The first measure of the firstfruits of harvest would be offered to God as wave offering to priest (Cohen/Kohen). Somehow God the Creator will make sure barley is always ripen so people can bring firstfruits to Him. That is the rule He created, so it happens like that.
And then people will start to collect the harvest. And then celebrate the feast of harvest 7 weeks later.
Also you are to observe the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors that you sow in the field, as well as the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather your crops from the field. (Exodus 23:16)
Traditionally, Jewish people still count omer, between feast of firstfruits to feast of weeks. Yes, even though they are no longer farmers, they still have this tradition. Why? Because they know this God who set up these rules and this calendar is still living! He said,
Your threshing will last until grape gathering, the grape gathering will last until the sowing time, you will eat your bread to the full, and live securely in your land. (Lev 26:5)
God of Israel knows the land He prepares for the house of Jacob. And He intends that through nature people will acknowledge Him and revere Him.
So Israel rests in safety,
untroubled is Jacob’s fountain
in a land of grain and new wine.
Yes, his heavens drip dew. (Deu 33:28)
Chinese society has transformed from an agricultural one to something else. Taiwan is known for high-tech products. But many of us coming from Chinese culture, we still use lunar calendar for celebrating festivals and even for birthdays. We aren’t farmers but this is still the calendar we honor, as so many memories come with it from history.
And Jewish people have even better reasons in keeping Creator’s calendar according to the Bible. Their calendar is established by God. It’s the first ‘interactive calendar’, as this is how God shows HE IS REAL!
The calendar should still be relevant today, because God has not changed, and He is still to be honored and revered.
