Balinese saka calendar

The Balinese saka calendar is one of two calendars used on 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

Information about the Saka calendar on a Balinese wall calendar

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]}

Use

Year numbering in the calendar is 78 years behind the

Sultan Agung replaced it with the Javanese calendar in 1633.^[5]

Notable days

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]