The Uptown Hostel

The Year Of The Pig


The Year Of The PigBe prepared for the calendar as you know it to change completely! Simply because with 1/5 of the world's population, the Chinese outnumber just about everyone when it comes to customs and traditions. For starters, they just have a weird sort of calendar compared to what we're used to, although that can be a good thing, especially when it's the year of the pig!

chinese calendarTheir calendar is based on the position of the sun and moon, instead of the seasons, meaning their normal year has 12 months, but about 10 days less than ours. To add to the confusion, their "day" starts at 11pm, and every 2nd or 3rd year has a 13th month to even it out. How's that for a calendar?

But that's not all, as the other system by which they mark their years is the stem-branch cycle, and this is where the 5 elements and 12 types of animals you may have heard of come in. A 60 year cycle determines which element and animal each year gets assigned, and from February 18th 2007 to February 6th 2008, it's the year of the Fire Pig!

new year in china

Since the next piggie-year will be only in 2019, and most of us will long have settled with a wife and children, a proper job, house and car let's all make this particular year count, so the great times at the Pig will never be forgotten Smiley

fire works