閏年 (Leap Year) & 閏月 (Intercalary Month) & 閻羅殿

This year, 鬼月(Ghost Month) begins on August 23 and ends on September 21. It is particularly late this year because of 閏六月(Intercalary June).

閏年(Leap Year) & 閏月 (Intercalary Month)

"閏年"(Leap year) and "閏月"(intercalary month) are two distinct concepts used to adjust the time discrepancies in different calendar systems.

閏年(Leap Year) ：Adjusting the "國曆"(Gregorian Calendar).
The actual time it takes for Earth to complete one revolution around the sun is slightly more than 365 days. 

To keep the calendar dates synchronized with the Earth's orbit and align the seasons with the calendar months, adjustments are made. An extra day, February 29th, is added to the calendar approximately every four years. Therefore, a leap year has 366 days, while a common year has 365 days.

閏月(Intercalary Month) is also used to make the calendar months consistent with the changing seasons.

閏月 (Intercalary Month)：Adjusting the "農曆"(Lunar Calendar)
農曆 is based on the cycles of the moon, with each month lasting approximately 29.5 days. A year consisting of 12 lunar months totals approximately 354 days, which is about 11 days shorter than the 365-day Gregorian calendar. Without adjustments, lunar calendar months would gradually become out of sync with the seasons.

To solve this, the lunar calendar adds an extra month approximately every two to three years. This extra month is called a 閏月(intercalary month). A lunar year with a 閏月 has 13 months and totals 383 or 384 days.

Let's summarize:

閏年(Leap year) adjusts the 國曆(Gregorian Calendar) by adding an extra day (February 29) to the specific year. While 閏月(intercalary month) refers to the addition of an entire month to a specific year in 農曆. Both are used to bridge the gap between the respective calendars and astronomical cycles.

In the video, "Chinese Legends: 孟婆湯," I introduce the King of Hell, 閻羅. He is the judge of the underworld who judges the dead based on their behavior in the living world.

This year's 鬼月(Ghost Month), let's learn about the other figures in King 閻羅's Court of Judgment.

閻羅殿 (King 閻羅's Court of Judgment)

First, let's look at the word "殿." In ancient Chinese architecture, a "殿" was usually a magnificent building in which emperors worked, held grand ceremonies, or enshrined deities and buddhas. It represents the highest level of authority and status. This is why King 閻羅's court is called "閻羅殿"

• 文武判官：If 閻羅王 is the judge, he sits on the judgment seat. Standing beside him are two 判官, who assist judges in a law court. They are called 文判官 and 武判官.
• 文判官 holds the 生死簿 (Book of Life and Death) in one hand and a 判官筆(The Pen of Life and Death) in the other hand.
  His duty is to verify a soul's good deeds and sins, and to check the book to confirm the identity and lifespan of the person being judged.
• 武判官, on the other hand, carries instruments of punishment or weapons.  He is responsible for supervising and carrying out punishments to souls, as well as maintaining order in the underworld.

• 黑白無常(七爺八爺) are responsible for transporting souls from the human world to the Underworld, where they are judged at 閻羅殿.
• The numbers "七"(seven) and "八"(eight) refer to their rank in the official hierarchy, while "爺" is an ancient term of respect for a man.
• According to legend, they lived during the 唐 Dynasty (618-907 CE). The names of 七爺八爺 are 謝必安 and 范無救, respectively. 
  One evening, they met under a bridge when it began to pour. The taller 七爺 told 八爺 to wait under the bridge while he went to get an umbrella. However, the heavy rain caused a flash flood. Unwilling to break his promise, 八爺 was ultimately drowned by the rising water. When 七爺 returned with the umbrella and saw that his friend had drowned, he was filled with regret for not returning in time. He hanged himself from a nearby willow tree.
  
  Moved by their story, the Supreme Deity allowed them to reunite in the Underworld. There, they were given the duty of escorting souls.
• Their literary and artistic images are very distinct and represent the way they died:
  
• 七爺, who died by hanging, is often depicted as tall, thin, with a pale face and a long, protruding tongue. He wears white and is known as 白無常.
• 八爺, who drowned, is often portrayed as short, stout, with a dark face and wide, angry eyes. He wears black and is known as 黑無常.
• In folklore, literature, and films, 黑白無常 are often depicted calling a person's name three times before taking their soul.

• 牛頭馬面
• Various legends surround the origins of 牛頭馬面. One theory suggests they evolved from protective deities in Indian Buddhism. Some gods in Buddhism are depicted with animal heads and human bodies. 牛頭馬面 may have developed from these images and were later incorporated into Chinese mythology.
• Similar to 黑白無常, their responsibility is capturing souls in the human world. However, according to legend, there is a slight difference in the types of souls they collect.
  黑白無常 are believed to collect the souls of people who died of natural causes or did not commit major sins. On the other hand, 牛頭馬面 are often thought to handle the souls of those who died violently, unjustly, or who committed great sins during their lives.
• Some legends also state that 牛頭馬面 are the gatekeepers of the Underworld.