Calendar used on the Indonesian island of Bali
The
Balinese saka calendar
is one of two calendars used on the
Indonesian
island of
Bali
. Unlike the
210-day pawukon calendar
, it is based on the
phases of the Moon
, and is approximately the same length as the
tropical year
(solar year, Gregorian year).
Months
[
edit
]
Based on a lunar calendar, the saka year comprises twelve months, or
sasih
, of 30 days each. However, because the lunar cycle is slightly shorter than 30 days, and the
lunar year
has a length of 354 or 355 days, the calendar is adjusted to prevent it losing synchronization with the lunar or solar cycles. The months are adjusted by allocating two lunar days to one solar day every 9 weeks. This day is called
ngunalatri
,
Sanskrit
for "minus one night". To stop the Saka from deviating unduly from the solar year – as happens with the
Islamic calendar
– an extra month, known as an intercalary month, is added after the 11th month (when it is known as Mala Jiyestha), or after the 12th month (Mala Sadha). The length of these months is calculated according to the normal 63-day cycle. An intercalary month is added whenever necessary to prevent the final day of the 7th month, known as Tilem Kapitu, from falling in the Gregorian month of December.
[
citation needed
]
The names the twelve months are taken from a mixture of Old Balinese and Sanskrit words for 1 to 12, and are as follows:
[1]
[2]
- Kasa
- Karo
- Katiga
- Kapat
- Kalima
- Kanem
- Kapitu
- Kawalu
- Kasanga
- Kadasa
- Jyestha
- Sadha
Each month begins the day after a new moon and has 15 days of waxing moon until the full moon (
Purnama
), then 15 days of waning, ending on the new moon (
Tilem
). Both sets of days are numbered 1 to 15. The first day of the year is usually the day after the first new moon in March.
[3]
Note, however, that Nyepi falls on the first day of Kadasa, and that the years of the Saka era are counted from that date.
[
citation needed
]
Year numbering in the calendar is 78 years behind the
Gregorian calendar
, and is calculated from (its "
epoch
" is) the beginning of the
Saka Era
in
India
. It is used alongside the 210-day
Balinese pawukon calendar
, and Balinese festivals can be calculated according to either year. The Indian saka calendar was used for royal decrees as early as the ninth century CE.
[4]
The same calendar was used in
Java
until
Sultan Agung
replaced it with the
Javanese calendar
in 1633.
[5]
Notable days
[
edit
]
The Balinese Hindu festival of
Nyepi
, the day of silence, marks the start of the Saka year. Tilem Kepitu, the last day of the 7th month, is known as Siva Ratri, and is a night dedicated to the god
Shiva
. Devotees stay up all night and meditate. There are another 24 ceremonial days in the Saka year, usually celebrated at
Purnama
.
[2]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Hobart
et al
, p82
- ^
a
b
Eisememan (1989) pp186-190
- ^
Eisememan (1989) pp 159,186
- ^
Haer
et al
, pp 24, 228
- ^
Ricklefs (1981), p.43
Bibliography
[
edit
]
- Eiseman, Fred B. Jr,
Bali: Sekalia and Niskala Volume I: Essays on Religion, Ritual and Art
pp 182?185, Periplus Editions, 1989
ISBN
0-945971-03-6
- Haer, Debbie Guthrie;
Morillot, Juliette
& Toh, Irene (Eds) (1995)
Bali, a Traveller's Companion
, Editions Didier Millet.
ISBN
981 3018 496
- Hobart, Angela; Ramseyer, Urs & Leeman, Albert (1996)
The Peoples of Bali
, Blackwell Publishers.
ISBN
0 631 17687 X
- Ricklefs, M.C;
A History of Modern Indonesia
, MacMillan,
ISBN
978-0-333-24380-0
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Systems
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In wide use
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In more
limited use
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Historical
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By specialty
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Reform proposals
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Displays and
applications
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Year naming
and numbering
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Fictional
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