Time and date in Themiclesia
Time and date in Themiclesia are specified by two distinct systems. The more traditional system, derived from Menghean practice in antiquity, has been little altered, and it remains the standard by which traditional holidays, birthdays, and certain are defined. The Western system is based on the Gregorian Calendar. Legislation requires certain types of documents to specify date and time via the traditional system to be effective, but the Western system is more prevalent in commercial correspondence for ease of communication with foreign states. Newspapers typically specify the date of the current issue with both systems, one in each corner on the top margin.
Traditional system
Date
Date in the traditional system is given in the following format:
Where:
- The regnal name is a title that the Emperor gives to his reign,
- The regnal year counts from the first new year after his ascension as year 1; note that this regnal year does not begin in the first month of the year, but the tenth.
- The sexagenary date is a combination of the ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches, providing a list of 60 names used cyclically.
- The month is declared ordinally, i.e. first month, second month, third month, ... twelfth month, beginning with the month beginning after Winter Solstice.
- The lunar date is formally declared by the phrase of the moon, such as "dark" for the first day in which there is no moon visible and "first auspice" for the third, on which the moon has generally appeared; to note days between these phases, phrases like "next day" and "two days next" are used. In more informal settings, writing them sequentially as "first day", "second day", etc. is perfectly acceptable.
Thus, the date of writing of this article would be given as:
Time
The Themiclesian day is divided into twelve "signs" whose character also translates the English word "hour", with the first sign beginning at 23:00 Septentrion Mean Time. A new day commences not at the beginning of the first sign, during the midpoint of the first sign, which corresponds exactly with 0:00 in SMT. The twelve signs are named with the twelve Earthly Branches. Each day is divided into 96 "ticks" for practical purposes but 100 ticks in the legal system. The two divide a day of identical length; thus, under 96 ticks, each tick is precisely 15 minutes long; under 100 ticks, each is 14 minutes and 24 seconds long. The latter system is rarely encountered, and due to their proximity not tending to cause any great error when used casually. To note time under the 96 ticks system, the sign is given first, and one tick is added for every 15 minutes passed. Therefore 子時 means 23:00, 子時一刻 23:15, ... 子時三刻 0:00, ... 子時七刻 0:45. 子時八刻 is not used, as it would be 丑時.
Western system
Date
Date in the western format is given in the following format:
- "Western Era" (西元) is overtly declared to specify the Gregorian Calendar.
- Year since the beginning of the Anno Domini or Common Era.
- Month, from January, February, ... December, but noted as first month, second month, ... twelfth month.
- Day, sequentially from first day, second day, ... thirtieth/thirty-first day.
The date of writing of this article is therefore noted as:
Time
The day is divided into twenty-four equal hours, called "dots" (點) in Shinasthana. 1:00 is 一點, 2:00 兩點, ... 12:00 十二點. To specify ante meridiem, the term 上午 can be added, and in like fashion 下午 for post meridiem. Terms like 13:00 十三點 and 0:00 零點 are theoretically possible but rarely used. Additionally, time after 0:00 and before 2:59 are typically considered "before dawn" (昧旦), and from 3:00 to 5:59 "dawn" (平旦). Likewise, after 6:00 PM "at night" (晚上) is far more usual than persisting with post meridiem (下午). Minutes then seconds follow, in cardinal order, the hour.