Lunar Calendar

The lunar calendar is, quite simply, a calendar that’s based on the phases of the moon. There are various different lunar calendars that are used across the world, meaning that unlike regular calendars they’re not universally the same.

The lunar cycle consists of the several phases that the moon passes through, including the full moon, the new moon and different lunar crescents. These phases are transferred onto the lunar calendar, with the different times of the month signifying the different phases of the moon.

However, true lunar calendars are in fact very rare. The lunar calendar slightly changes each year thanks to the slight variation in lunar cycles, so keeping to a true lunar calendar would mean a variation in the seasons each year and could get quite confusing.

In fact, the only purely lunar calendar is the Islamic calendar that’s usually used for religious purposes. This true lunar calendar consists of 12 lunar months, and they aren’t intrinsically linked to the seasons. Instead, the calendar drifts each year by 11 or 12 days and only returns to the position of the solar year once in every 33.

Most other lunar calendars are actually lunisolar calendars, whereby the months are kept on the lunar calendar cycle but additional months have to be added to make it synchronise with the solar year. The lunar year consists of 12 months, but because of the additional month, no lunisolar calendars have the same number of months each year – instead, there’s a 13-month year every two or three to make up for it.

Examples Of Lunisolar

Some examples of lunisolar (or lunar) calendars are Chinese, Hindu and Hebrew. Some lunar calendars are affected by annual natural events, and others differ according to which day signifies the start of the month. For example, in the Hindu calendar the new month begins at full moon, whereas in the Chinese calendar it stars when the new moon appears in different time zones.

Lunar calendars are generally used for religious, astrological or spiritual reasons as opposed to purely practical ones. In astrology the lunar calendar is thought to have an impact on your personality, with the phase that the moon was in at the time of your birth thought to affect how you grow and develop. Lunar phases/cycles are also thought to relate to life cycles, so here the lunar calendar can really come into its own.

So, the lunar calendar is a type of calendar that’s based on the phases of the moon, a marked difference to traditional calendars. It’s interesting to note that there are various different lunar calendars used across the world, and none of them show the same thing.

You can of course add the phases of the moon onto traditional calendars, but this still won’t be the same as a proper lunar calendar that dictates the month according to the cycle of the moon. Although not entirely practical, if you have an interest in the world of the spiritual or astrological then learning about the lunar calendar is definitely worthwhile.