🏯Javanese Calendar

The EarthCycles Calendar includes the Javanese solar and lunar calendar. Inherited from the Majapait empire, the Javanese people of Central Java in Indonesia, have long maintained their remarkable and unique Calendar. The Javanese calendar is used by the main ethnicities of Java island—that is, the Javanese, Madurese, and Sundanese people. The current system of the Javanese calendar was inaugurated by Sultan Agung of Mataram in the Gregorian year 1633 CE.

On the EarthCycle Calendar we represent:

• the native five-day week, called Pasaran

• the Solar month, called Mangsathe

• Lunar month, called Wulan

• the lunar year, or Tahun

The Market Days

We've created an icon to visually represent each of the five market days along side the week days.

• ꦊꦒꦶ (Legi) – ꦩꦤꦶꦱ꧀ (Manis)

• ꦥꦲꦶꦁ (Pahing) – ꦥꦲꦶꦠ꧀ (Pait)

• ꦥꦺꦴꦤ꧀ (Pon) – ꦥꦼꦠꦏ꧀ (Petak)

• ꦮꦒꦺ (Wagé) – ꦕꦼꦩꦺꦁ (Cemèng)

• ꦏ꧀ꦭꦶꦮꦺꦴꦤ꧀ (Kliwon) – ꦲꦱꦶꦃ (Asih)

Lunar Calendar

The alternating grey center circle of the calendar contains the lunar Javanese months.

The highlighted month in Javanese Script

Wulan

Each lunar year (taun) is divided into a series of twelve wulan/sasi or lunar months. Each consists of 29 or 30 days. This is adapted from the use of months in the Islamic calendar. The names of the month are given below in Javanese and Arabic which can be used interchangeably:

Javanese lunar months
Ngoko (informal)	Arabic names	Length of days
Sura ꦱꦸꦫ	Muharram ( المحرّم )	30
Sapar ꦱꦥꦂ	Safar ( صفر )	29
Mulud/Rabingulawal ꦩꦸꦭꦸꦢ꧀/ꦫꦧꦶꦔꦸꦭꦮꦭ꧀	Rabi al-awwal ( ربيع الأوّل )	30
Bakda Mulud/Rabingulakir ꦧꦏ꧀ꦢꦩꦸꦭꦸꦢ꧀/ꦫꦧꦶꦔꦸꦭꦏꦶꦂ	Rabi al-thani ( ربيع الثاني )	29
Jumadilawal ꦗꦸꦩꦢꦶꦭꦮꦭ꧀	Jumada al-awwal ( جمادى الأولى )	30
Jumadilakir ꦗꦸꦩꦢꦶꦭꦏꦶꦂ	Jumada al-thani ( جمادى الآخرة )	29
Rejeb ꦉꦗꦼꦧ꧀	Rajab ( رجب )	30
Ruwah/Arwah ꦫꦸꦮꦃ/ꦲꦂꦮꦃ	Sha'aban ( شعبان )	29
Pasa/Siyam ꦥꦱ/ꦱꦶꦪꦩ꧀	Ramadhan ( رمضان )	30
Sawal ꦱꦮꦭ꧀	Shawwal ( شوّال )	29
Sela/Apit ꦱꦼꦭ/ꦲꦥꦶꦠ꧀	Dhu al-Qi'dah ( ذو القعدة )	30
Besar/Kaji ꦧꦼꦱꦂ/ꦏꦗꦶ	Dhu al-Hijjah ( ذو الحجّة )	29 or 30

Javanese Solar Year

The months of the Javanese Solar Calendar is shown in the inner center. Like the Gregorian calendar months they are colored to show chromatically the progression of the year.

The Javanese solar year is divided into twelve periods (mangsa) of unequal length that correspond to the Solstices and Equinoxes. Its origin lies in agriculture practice in Java. The cycle begins near the June solstice, around the middle of the dry season in Java. The names of the first ten months are simply the ordinal numbers from 1 to 10 in Javanese language, although the names of the 11th and 12th months are unclear.