The Kitchen God is one of the most important of domestic gods that protect the hearth and family.
On the 23rd/24th of the 12th month of the lunar calendar, a week before Chinese New Year, the Kitchen God returns to heaven to report on the activities of every household to the Jade Emperor. People will make offerings to the Kitchen God on this day so that he’ll put in a good word for them. As a result, the Jade Emperor will not punish or may even reward the family for the coming year.
(all credits on the images go to their respective creators; if this post infringes on any copyrights, please message me, and I will take it off this post)
So, most people probably know that the Chinese zodiac consists of 12 animals, and that they change yearly, commonly referred to as “year of the (animal)”. 2020 (or traditionally called the Gengzi/庚子 year, according to the Sexagenary Cycle/”Heavenly Trunks and Earthly Branches”/天干地支) is the Year of the Rat. Personally, I was born on a Year of the Rat, and I know a bunch of people who were also born on a Year of the Rat, which means that 2020 is our zodiac year/本命年!
But hold the celebrations……
Because traditionally speaking, when your zodiac year comes around, it’s actually considered to be a very bad thing for you.
Why is that?
This concept is called “犯太岁” in folk belief, which basically means “offending the reigning deity of the year”, and it originated from Daoism, where it’s called “冲克岁君” (same meaning). In religious Daoism, there is a group of 60 different deities called Taisui (太岁; all 60 are deified historical figures) who take turns reigning over the years (1 deity per year). If this next year is your zodiac year, then you have offended the reigning Taisui of that year.
You might be asking yourself, how did I offend the reigning Taisui?
Turns out it has more to do with the Sexagenary Cycle (天干地支/“Heavenly Trunks and Earthly Branches”). The Sexagenary Cycle is an ancient system for reckoning time that goes in cycles of 60 years each, and is applied to the Lunar Calendar (meaning the “years” referred to here are years as dictated by the Lunar Calendar). The 60 years are further divided into groups of 12 each, with each of the 12 being an “Earthly Branch” (地支), and each are paired up with an animal, forming the Chinese zodiac we know today. While there is a Taisui reigning over a given year, the zodiac animal of the year would assist the deity. Some people might know the pressure of working under a powerful boss who has a lot of credentials, and this is presumed to be how it is for the zodiac animal of the year. So for example, people who were born in Year of the Rat might be punished (this “punishment” usually manifest as extremely bad luck, for example, getting into a serious accident, losing a lot of money, etc) by the reigning Taisui along with the Rat, should anything go wrong.
Thankfully, tradition says that there are some things we can do to avoid an impending year of misfortune. Traditionally, people would burn offerings and pray to the reigning deity of the year to show their piety and appease the reigning Taisui. These rituals are called “安太岁” (or “摄太岁” in Hong Kong), which literally means “calming Taisui”, and are still practiced in parts of China today. However, in modern times, the more common method is to wear red-colored clothing items (usually belts or undergarments) when the person’s zodiac year comes around (at least from the eve to the 1st of the new year), in an attempt to gain back the “lost” luck (red is traditionally seen as a “lucky” color symbolizing all good things).
But regardless of whether you live by these traditions or not……
A few months ago, the most beautiful lunar calendar showed up on my dash, thanks to @etsycult! I immediately added this beautiful work of art by ABJglassworks to my wish-list. Alas, I am broke witch, so I came up with an immediate solution until I can afford to splurge :)
You will need:
piece of hobby board
chalkboard paint
white paper
marker
bottle cap
scissors
glue
chalk pencil
Step One
Paint your hobby board with the chalkboard paint. I used three coats of paint and sanded in-between so that it would be nice and smooth to write on. This is probably overkill and not necessary. Just paint until you’re satisfied.
Step Two
Use your bottle cap to trace 9 moons. Cut out your moons. Use your marker to denote the phases.
Step Three
Glue on your moons and then add the dates and astrological signs with your chalk pencil. To find the current lunar phase and astrological sign, The Moon app is perfect!
That’s it! Thank you to Etsy Cult and ABJglasworks for the inspiration! Please consider supporting the artist if it’s in your budget :)
For all my witches out there, here’s a handy list of the 2022 dates for the major holidays, full and new moons, and special events. I’ve listed my sources at the bottom. Dates and times for all events are calculated for Eastern Standard Time, USA, Northern Hemisphere. Adjust for your location as needed. Enjoy!
WOTY Holidays and Solstices
February 1-2 - Imbolc
March 20 - Spring Equinox / Ostara
May 1 - Beltane
June 21 - Summer Solstice / Midsummer
August 1 - Lughnasadh
September 22 - Autumn Equinox / Mabon
October 31 - Samhain
December 21 - Winter Solstice / Yule
Full Moons
January 17 - Wolf Moon ♋️
February 16 - Snow Moon ♌️
March 18 - Worm Moon ♍️
April 16 - Pink Moon ♎️
May 16 - Flower Moon ♏️
June 14 - Strawberry Moon ♐️
July 13 - Thunder Moon (aka Buck Moon) ♑️
August 11 - Sturgeon Moon ♒️
September 10 - Harvest Moon ♓️
October 9 - Hunter’s Moon (aka Blood Moon) ♈️
November 8 - Frost Moon ♉️
December 7 - Cold Moon ♊️
Fun Fact: The title of Harvest Moon is given to either the September or October full moon, whichever falls closest to the autumn equinox. In 2022, that month will be September.
New Moons
January 2 ♑️
February 1 ♒️
March 2 ♓️
April 1 ♈️
April 30 ♉️
May 30 ♊️
June 29 ♋️
July 28 ♌️
August 27 ♍️
September 25 ♎️
October 25 ♏️
November 23 ♐️
December 23 ♑️
Special Events
April 30 - Black Moon & Partial Solar Eclipse (10:42pm EST)
May 16 - Total Lunar Eclipe (12:11am EST, coinciding with zenith)
June 14 - Supermoon
July 13 - Supermoon
October 25 - Partial Solar Eclipe (11:01am EST)
November 8 - Total Lunar Eclipse (5:59am EST, coinciding with zenith)
