2126) i)"Year of the Tiger", Australia: Coin Series titled "Australian Lunar Coin Series": : Coin minted by the Perth Mint, Australia: Year of Coin issue: 2021 (with Year of issue inscribed as 2022):
Links to some more posts on the Chinese Lunar calendar/Zodiac signs on this Blog:
First issued in 1996, the long-running Australian Lunar Coin Series celebrates the animals of the ancient lunar zodiac with a sequence of annual designs portraying the mouse, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. This spectacular silver coin celebrates the tiger, which is said to bestow courage, confidence and charm on those born under its influence.
The Coin Series covers all 12 Lunar zodiac signs which change and revolve every 12 years.
As with the Western Zodiac, those born during specific years are said to have attained very definite attributes associated with the real or mythical animal representing that year.
The Year of the Tiger is also associated with particular elements which change with each cycle and can range from fire, earth, wood, or even gold. This year, the Tiger is associated with water. Incidentally, it has been found that not only can tigers swim, but they seem to enjoy the experience.
2022 is the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese Lunar Calendar - Zodiac Cycle.
How does the Lunar Calendar or Chinese Zodiac Cycle work?
I consulted some of the books which have been kept in my personal library and got acquainted with some interesting facts about the Chinese Zodiac/Lunar Calendar:
The exact origins of the 12 animal signs is rather lost in the obscurity of time, but there is no doubt that they originated in China.
In terms of the Chinese astrological "history", the 12 animals are of a rather recent introduction - for it seems that in the 2nd Century BC, Ssu Ma Chi'en (163-85 BC), who was the grand astrologer to Emperor Wu Ti, wrote the Shi Chi or "historical record" up to that time. In this book, there is no "Zodiac" or mention of the 12 animals.
Originally, the 12 year cycle that it takes the planet Jupiter to complete one orbit of the Sun was believed to have defined the earlier calendars. The Chinese still call this cycle "The Great Year" and each month corresponds to one of our own years.
By the 10th Century AD, however, after Buddhism had been established in china, Calendar Almanacs, such as those written by Tibetan monks in exile in the "Caves of the Thousand Buddhas" monastery in the remote reaches of North-western China, depicting the 12 animals, came into existence.
The legend of the Conference of Animals called by the Buddha and naming of the 12 year cycle after 12 animals for the Chinese Lunar Calendar:
According to a legend, it was the Buddha (583-463 BC), who created the 12-animal cycle. He is believed to have invited all the animals in the land to hold a conference together. The Buddha was not surprised, as in his wisdom, he knew that some of the animals were friendly towards others, while others were inimical enemies.
To encourage attendance, he decided to name the years after the first twelve animals, in order of their arrival.
An invitation from the Buddha was hard to resist, and when they heard the news, all the animals set off at once, each determined to be the first to arrive.
Tiger, because of his energy and speed, at first took the lead. Soon, though, he began to tire and the early lead that he had achieved over his next rival Ox, who may have been slow, but had great stamina, soon dissipated. Ox reached the Buddha ahead of Tiger and prepared to bow down low to receive his honour.
But, what the sturdy Ox did not know was that clever Rat had sneaked a ride on his tail !! Just before Ox's nose touched the floor at the Buddha's feet, nimble and swift Rat ran up the Ox's tail, along his back and jumped off his nose, thus winning the race to be the first to bow before the Buddha. So Rat (or "Tze"/Xi) is its Chinese name"), became the first animal in the Chinese Lunar Calendar/Zodiac, followed by a rather resentful Ox ("Chou").
Tiger ("Yin"), Rabbit ("Mao"), Dragon ("Chen"), Snake ("Si"), Horse ("Wu"), Goat ("Wei"), Monkey ("Shen"), Rooster ("You"), Dog ("Xu") and Pig ("Hu"), all followed, and in that order, paid homage to the Buddha and were each honoured with a year.
Interestingly, Dragon is the only mythical beast in the Chinese Circle of Zodiacal animals.
According to the Lunar or Chinese Zodiac, each year is assigned to the above-referred animals, in accordance to a 12-year cycle.
The lunar calendar is 12 months long, with each month corresponding roughly to one cycle of the Moon's movement - from a new moon, through to a full Moon and back to a new Moon. The lunar calendar is also known as the agricultural calendar as it divides the year into seasons. Agriculture was the principal economy of ancient China. Even today, the lunar calendar still has great significance for the Chinese people, who use it to set the luckiest dates for traditional events and activities, such as weddings, funerals, launching new ventures and moving to a new house.
The next year is the "Year of the Tiger" (2022):
On the Reverse of the One Kilo 30 Australian Dollars Silver Coin with a gold privy mark is depicted a tiger cub following its proud parent over a rocky terrain featuring ferns and bamboo.
Originally, the 12 year cycle that it takes the planet Jupiter to complete one orbit of the Sun was believed to have defined the earlier calendars. The Chinese still call this cycle "The Great Year" and each month corresponds to one of our own years.
By the 10th Century AD, however, after Buddhism had been established in china, Calendar Almanacs, such as those written by Tibetan monks in exile in the "Caves of the Thousand Buddhas" monastery in the remote reaches of North-western China, depicting the 12 animals, came into existence.
The legend of the Conference of Animals called by the Buddha and naming of the 12 year cycle after 12 animals for the Chinese Lunar Calendar:
According to a legend, it was the Buddha (583-463 BC), who created the 12-animal cycle. He is believed to have invited all the animals in the land to hold a conference together. The Buddha was not surprised, as in his wisdom, he knew that some of the animals were friendly towards others, while others were inimical enemies.
To encourage attendance, he decided to name the years after the first twelve animals, in order of their arrival.
An invitation from the Buddha was hard to resist, and when they heard the news, all the animals set off at once, each determined to be the first to arrive.
Tiger, because of his energy and speed, at first took the lead. Soon, though, he began to tire and the early lead that he had achieved over his next rival Ox, who may have been slow, but had great stamina, soon dissipated. Ox reached the Buddha ahead of Tiger and prepared to bow down low to receive his honour.
But, what the sturdy Ox did not know was that clever Rat had sneaked a ride on his tail !! Just before Ox's nose touched the floor at the Buddha's feet, nimble and swift Rat ran up the Ox's tail, along his back and jumped off his nose, thus winning the race to be the first to bow before the Buddha. So Rat (or "Tze"/Xi) is its Chinese name"), became the first animal in the Chinese Lunar Calendar/Zodiac, followed by a rather resentful Ox ("Chou").
Tiger ("Yin"), Rabbit ("Mao"), Dragon ("Chen"), Snake ("Si"), Horse ("Wu"), Goat ("Wei"), Monkey ("Shen"), Rooster ("You"), Dog ("Xu") and Pig ("Hu"), all followed, and in that order, paid homage to the Buddha and were each honoured with a year.
Interestingly, Dragon is the only mythical beast in the Chinese Circle of Zodiacal animals.
According to the Lunar or Chinese Zodiac, each year is assigned to the above-referred animals, in accordance to a 12-year cycle.
The lunar calendar is 12 months long, with each month corresponding roughly to one cycle of the Moon's movement - from a new moon, through to a full Moon and back to a new Moon. The lunar calendar is also known as the agricultural calendar as it divides the year into seasons. Agriculture was the principal economy of ancient China. Even today, the lunar calendar still has great significance for the Chinese people, who use it to set the luckiest dates for traditional events and activities, such as weddings, funerals, launching new ventures and moving to a new house.
Starting from the 1st February 2022 and ending on the 31st January 2023, the most recent years of the Tiger include 2022, 2010, 1998, 1986, 1974, 1962, 1950, and 1938.
The next year is the "Year of the Tiger" (2022):
Those born during the Year of the Tiger, their personality is said to be strong-willed. Once they make up their minds, they will not change it easily and will never regret what they have said in terms of speaking their minds. They are said to be born with stateliness and confidence, Courage, Confidence and Charm, as such, they always impress people with an image of power and authority.
The Coin:
A special One Gram Gold privy mark is inscribed on this face - with the Oriental character for ‘tiger’. Additional inscriptions are - "TIGER 2022" and The Perth Mint’s "P" mintmark.
On the Obverse of the One Kilo 30 Australian Dollars Silver Coin is depicted an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II facing right designed by Jody Clark, whose initials "JC" appear below the Queen's neck.
The peripheral inscriptions are -"ELIZABETH II. AUSTRALIA. 1 KILO .999 Ag. 30 DOLLARS".
The Presentation Case/Box is a classic display case with a clear lid.
The illustrated Shipper
The specifications of the Kilo Silver Coin are:
Country of issue: Australia; Coin Series Theme: "Australian Lunar Coin Series"; Coin Theme: "Year of the Tiger"; Year of issue: 2022; Metallic Composition: Silver - 32.151 Troy Oz or One Kilo (100.10 grams), Gold - 0.032 Troy Oz. or 1.00 gram; Metal Fineness: .9999 %; Denomination: 30.00 AUD; Diameter/Size: 100.90 mm; Thickness: 14.50 mm; Mintage:388 pieces; Mint: Perth Mint, Australia; Mint Mark: "P"; Privy Mark: Yes (Gold); Designer: (Reverse) - Jennifer McKenna, (Obverse) Jody Clark; Certificate of Authenticity (COA): Yes, numbered; Presentation Box/Case: Yes. The Coin comes in a classic display case with a clear lid and an illustrated shipper.
Satyajit Pratap has commented:
ReplyDelete"Thanks , very interesting . Waise I was always interested in Astrology n predictions .... I'm a Earth pig."
Thank you, Satyajit for visiting the post. Zodiacal signs and their effects on humans makes for a very interesting reading.
DeleteSantosh Khanna has commented:
ReplyDelete"Thanks for sharing Keep it up."
Thank you, Khanna sahab.
DeleteRajan Trikha has commented:
ReplyDelete"Very interesting & informative".
Thank you, Trikha sahab.
Delete