The seventh lunar month, the month which the Tiandihui (Heaven and Earth Society) was founded, was one of the two months during which the Ghee Hin Kongsi collected subscriptions from its members. In the Chinese lunar calendar, different plants were used to symbolise the 12 lunar months. The seventh lunar month was known as ‘guayue’ after the melon, and the eleventh month was known as ‘jiayue’ after the reed. The significance of the eleventh month to Chinese secret societies is not known.
