Welcome to 2024, the Year of the Dragon! As you may know, February 10th marks the lunar new year's day, which is celebrated by many Asian countries and cultures. In this blog post, I will explain the meaning and origin of the sexagenary cycle, which is a system of naming the years based on a combination of 10 heavenly stems and 12 earthly branches.
The sexagenary cycle, also known as the Chinese zodiac, is a 60-year cycle that originated in ancient China and spread to Korea, Japan, Vietnam and other parts of East Asia. The cycle is composed of two elements: the heavenly stems (天干) and the earthly branches (地支). In Korean, they are called 십간(十干) and 십이지(十二支), respectively.
The heavenly stems are 10 symbols that represent the phases of yin and yang, the two opposing forces that govern the universe. They are 갑(甲), 을(乙), 병(丙), 정(丁), 무(戊), 기(己), 경(庚), 신(辛), 임(壬), 계(癸). Each stem has a corresponding element (wood, fire, earth, metal or water) and polarity (yin or yang).
The earthly branches are 12 symbols that correspond to 12 animals: 자(子, rat) 축(丑, ox) 인(寅, tiger) 묘(卯, rabbit) 진(辰, dragon) 사(巳, snake) 오(午, horse) 미(未, goat) 신(申, monkey) 유(酉, rooster) 술(戌, dog) 해(亥, pig). Each branch also has an associated element and direction.
By combining one heavenly stem and one earthly branch, we get a unique name for each year in the cycle. For example, 2024 is 갑진년 (甲辰年), which means the year of the wood dragon. The wood element signifies growth and vitality, while the dragon symbolizes power and creativity. People born in this year are said to be ambitious, adventurous and charismatic.
In addition to the sexagenary cycle, there is another way to classify the years based on the five cardinal colors: blue (청색), red (적색), golden (황색), white (백색) and black (흑색). These colors are derived from the five elements and their corresponding directions. For example, wood is associated with east and blue, fire with south and red, earth with center and golden, metal with west and white, and water with north and black. Therefore, 2024 is also known as the year of the blue dragon. And as you may have guessed, 2023 was the year of the black rabbit.
I hope this blog post has given you some insight into the sexagenary cycle and its cultural significance. The lunar new year is a time to celebrate new beginnings and honor our ancestors. I wish you all a happy and prosperous Year of the Dragon!
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