And Thus, As I Have Related, Is Celebrated The Joyous Feast Of The Kaan's Birthday.[NOTE 4]

Now I will tell you of another festival which the Kaan holds at the New Year, and which is called the White Feast.

NOTE 1. - The Chinese Year commences, according to Duhalde, with the New Moon nearest to the Sun's Passage of the middle point of Aquarius; according to Pauthier, with the New Moon immediately preceding the Sun's entry into Pisces. (These would almost always be identical, but not always.) Generally speaking, the first month will include part of February and part of March. The eighth month will then be September-October (v. ante, ch. ii. note 2).

[According to Dr. S. W. Williams (Middle Kingdom, II. p. 70): "The year is lunar, but its commencement is regulated by the sun. New Year falls on the first new moon after the sun enters Aquarius, which makes it come not before January 21st nor after February 19th." "The beginning of the civil year, writes Peter Hoang (Chinese Calendar, p. 13), depends upon the good pleasure of the Emperors. Under the Emperor Hwang-ti (2697 B.C.) and under the Hsia Dynasty (2205 B.C.), it was made to commence with the 3rd month yin-yueeh [Pisces]; under the Shang Dynasty (1766 B.C.) with the 2nd month ch'ou-yueeh [Aquarius], and under the Chou Dynasty (1122 B.C.) with the 1st month tzu-yueeh [Capricorn]." - H. C.]

NOTE 2. - The expression "a or batuz" as here applied to robes, is common among the mediaeval poets and romance-writers, e.g. Chaucer:

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