But how do you find this elusive auspicious date for your wedding? Like many things, the answer is: it depends.
OPTION ONE: CONSULT A FENG SHUI MASTER
Outsourcing the entire process of divining the optimal date for your marriage is of course the easiest and safest option. And there are many experts in Hong Kong that can help with this. Unfortunately this method is also the most expensive- costing thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars depending on the reputation of the Feng Shui master whom you choose to consult. We recommend this option for couples who are mindful of traditions, short of time, and who have deep pockets.
OPTION TWO: DO IT YOURSELF
For couples who are loathe to spend this money, and who are interested to learn some of the basics of Chinese fortune telling, we recommend navigating traditions yourself.
The first useful tip is to avoid any association with unfortunate events. Most obviously, this means not scheduling your wedding on or near the anniversary of the death of a relative. In addition, it is wise not to schedule your wedding close to festivals associated with the dead, such as Ching Ming, the Hungry Ghost Festival and Double Ninth. Some couples even choose to avoid the entire lunar month in which each of these festivals occurs. These are the 3rd, 7th and 9th months respectively.
The second tip is to try and find years with a ‘double spring’. In the lunar calendar, some years have 13 months rather than 12. These years are known as leap years. Leap years have the distinction of featuring two days of lichun, which is a day in the year that signals the beginning of the Spring season. Given the positive symbolism associated with the end of Winter and the coming of new life in Spring, years with two comings of spring are considered particularly auspicious for marriage. On the flip side, lunar years without a lichun are considered less auspicious, and so should be avoided.
In addition, if you are lucky enough to be planning your marriage in a lunar leap year, it is best to choose a date that falls on the extra or the 13th month that occurs in that lunar leap year. Confusingly, this is not always the last month of the year, so it is best to do your homework carefully. For example, the extra or 13th month of the leap year occurring in 2020 actually falls in the 4th month. This is around May in the Gregorian calendar.
Next, you should consider consulting the Chinese Almanac or Tung Shing. The easiest place to find a Tung Shing is at a roadside newsstand. Luckily, consulting the Tung Shing for weddings is not overly complicated if you know some basic tips:
Look for days that are specifically marked as being good for weddings
Most days in the Tung Shing are marked as being lucky for some things, and unlucky for others. For example, one day might be marked as an unlucky day to purchase a house, but a good day to start a business. The same is true for weddings. There are some days that are considered generally better for marriage, and some considered bad. If you can pick one of these good dates, and avoid the days marked as unlucky for marriage, then you are headed in the right direction.
For extra brownie points, you can even try and consult the Tung Shing to find not just the luckiest day, but also the luckiest hours in which to conduct your celebrations. Unfortunately, the Tung Shing doesn’t use the same 24 or 12 hour clock most of use are used to. However, you can follow this handy table to translate the hour mentioned in the Tung Shing into a time that you understand:
- 23:00 – 01:00 Zi hour
- 01:00 – 03:00 Chou hour
- 03:00 – 05:00 Yin hour
- 05:00 – 07:00 Mao hour
- 07:00 – 09:00 Chen hour
- 09:00 – 11:00 Si hour
- 11:00 – 13:00 Wu hour
- 13:00 – 15:00 Wei hour
- 15:00 – 17:00 Shen hour
- 17:00 – 19:00 You hour
- 19:00 – 21:00 Xu hour
- 21:00 – 23:00 Hai hour
Look for days that fall in the bride’s lucky months
As we mentioned earlier, auspicious days for marriage are largely related to the timing of the birth of the bride and the groom. Every year, each Chinese zodiac sign has two “big lucky months”, and two “small lucky months”. If you are able to get married within the lucky months of the bride’s zodiac sign, then you increase your chances of getting married on an auspicious day.
So, what are the lucky months for each Zodiac sign?
*Note that these lucky months are months in the Chinese lunar calendar, rather than the more common Gregorian calendar we use in daily life.
Option Three: Make Your Own Luck
If you are a couple that isn’t terribly fussy about traditions, and you aren’t keen on finding a Feng Shui master, or delving through ancient text we would recommend choosing a date that is of significance to you and your partner. Obvious choices would be birthdays, milestones in the relationship, or occasions such as Valentine’s Day or Christmas.
And, at the end of it all, even if you have picked an auspicious day according to tradition, if you can respect and stay true to each other, and try to resolve issues as one, every day can be an auspicious day.
