What does "birthday" mean?
A birthday refers to both the day a person was born and the anniversary of that day.Traditional Chinese people use the lunar calendar to calculate birthdays. A child's first birthday is called "Zhou Sui", which has various customs. An elder's birthday is called "Shou Ri", and for those over 50 years old, every ten years can be considered a "Great Birthday".
The time when Chinese people celebrate their birthdays varies. Generally, people in the south calculate based on the solar calendar, while people in the north use the lunar calendar. Some people also consider both the solar and lunar calendars as birthdays.
Westerners' birthdays are relatively simple. The date is the exact day according to the Gregorian calendar. Therefore, if someone is born on February 29th, they will only have a birthday every leap year.
Lunar Birthday or Solar Birthday: Which is More Accurate?
It is more accurate to calculate based on the solar birthday.The solar calendar calculates the actual age, with each year being a complete year.
The lunar calendar calculates the "virtual age" (the method of calculating age is: one year old at birth, and adding one year for each Spring Equinox (which used to refer to the beginning of spring in ancient times)). It counts the sequence of years rather than the duration of time.
The definition of the birthday differs between countries and cultural traditions.
Chinese Birthday Traditions
Celebrating an elder's birthday usually involves children making their own longevity noodles and longevity buns. For children's birthdays, parents will give red envelopes to their children as a sign of celebration. Regardless of whether it's an elder or a child, eating eggs is always part of the birthday tradition.The first birthday, known as "Zhou Sui," is almost the most important birthday.
In the past, elders' birthdays were celebrated very carefully. If a respected family head had a birthday in a large family, there would be corresponding celebrations. Traditionally, birthdays were calculated by virtual age.
→ Major Birthdays: These refer to birthdays where the unit digit is 9 or 0, such as 59, 60, 49, 50, etc. They have different names:
Big Celebration: Birthdays where the unit digit is 9, such as 39, 49, 59, 69, 79, etc.
Formal Celebration: Birthdays where the unit digit is 0, such as 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, etc.
→ Minor Birthdays: These are birthdays where the unit digit is 1-8, such as 51-58 years old.
Life luck has good and bad, auspicious and inauspicious aspects. By predicting the direction of your fate in advance, you can prepare for the future and make your life more smooth and bright. Want to know when you will experience a period of good fortune? Then check out the following 【Premium Calculations】. May you have a safe and smooth life!
