A person's age in Tibetan culture

In Tibetan culture a person's age is counted traditionally according to the principles of the Elemental astrology. But of course modern life also uses the western way of counting age according the solar years.

In Elemental astrology a person's age is determined by the turning of the Elemental New year, and this age is then used in the calculation of the Elemental horoscope. Therefore, it is very important not to mix the official Tibetan New Year (Losar) and the Elemental New Year. The Elemental year a person is born is considered to be year one and so a person is one year old from the day of his/her birth. In the next Elemental New Year everyone becomes one year older.

In addition to a person's age in years, also a month, a day and the time of the birth are used when a Tibetan astrologer calculates an Elemental birth horoscope.

The Elemental New Year 

The New Year in Elemental astrology changes on the 1^st day of the new moon of the 11^th lunar month, which is always a Tiger month. This is considered to be the astrological New Year.

At this time all astrological spirits change and their nature becomes dual. This takes place in December around the Winter Solstice, when the Sun has the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere. Then the Sun changes direction northwards, and in the same way changes of position the astrological influence. The element and animal sign will change as well the nine Mewas (magic square numbers) and the eight Parkha trigrams.

Example:

1996 is the Fire Mouse year until Dec. 10^th 1996.

Dec 11^th 1996 is then first day of the 11^th lunar month, and begins the Fire Ox year.

A person's age

The year of birth is considered to be year one. Therefore, a newborn child is one year old from the day of birth and until the next Elemental New Year when the child becomes two years old.

This system can lead to peculiar situations. Should a baby be born two days before the Elemental New Year, she/he is considered to be one year old. From the third day (which is the Elemental New Year and the first day of the Tiger month) she/he will be two elemental years old.

The 10^th lunar month is Ox. If a child is born on the 30^th day of Ox month in 1996, she/he is therefore born in Fire Mouse year, and is one year old in elemental astrology. On the very next day, the 1^st of the 11^th lunar month, the Tiger month, the child becomes two elemental years old. Should the child be born on the first day of the Tiger month, she/he will be born in the Fire Ox year, even if it is still 1996. Thus, being born in the Tiger month is the most complicated for counting the year.