Hmong calendar
The Hmong calendar (Pahawh: 饢瑢饢饢 饢瑠饢瑸饢 饢瑎饢饢饢 饢瑐饢 饢瑯饢饢饢; RPA: Hmoob daim teej cim zwj) is a lunar calendar used by the Hmong people. According to Hmong legends and folklore, the calendar has been in use since ancient times, although its exact origins remain unknown.[1] It is believed to have been created during an ancient Hmong civilization in the area that is now Mongolia. These same legends and folklore relate that ancient Hmong ancestral kings created the calendar to determine the best times for performing rituals, ceremonial events, or activities in order to receive blessings or fortunes from the almighty god.
Features
[edit | edit source]The Hmong lunar calendar operates using a system of revolving cycles of days (Pahawh: 饢瑔饢饢; RPA: Hnub), weeks (Pahawh: 饢瑧饢瑹饢; RPA: plua), months (Pahawh: 饢瑑饢; RPA: Hli), and years (Pahawh: 饢瑣饢饢; RPA: xyoo). This system incorporates both moon cycles and the Hmong zodiac.[2]
System
[edit | edit source]Months of the Year
[edit | edit source]| Gregorian Months | Hmong Months (formal in Pahawh) | Hmong (formal using RPA) | Informal (using RPA) |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 饢瑎饢饢 饢瑎饢饢 | Yeej ceeb | [Lub] Ib hli |
| February | 饢瑔饢 饢瑎饢饢 | Kub xeeb | [Lub] Ob hli |
| March | 饢瑬饢饢 饢瑪饢 | Yaj kiav | [Lub] Peb hli |
| April | 饢瑎 饢瑨饢 | Keem com | [Lub] Plaub hli |
| May | 饢瑔饢 饢瑔饢饢 | Kub nuj | [Lub] Tsib hli |
| June | 饢瑨饢饢饢 饢瑪饢饢瑸 | Tov liaj | [Lub] Rau hli |
| July | 饢瑦饢饢瑹 饢瑎饢饢 | Huaj xeeb | [Lub] Xya hli |
| August | 饢瑎饢饢 饢瑧饢 | Ceeb cua | [Lub] Yim hli |
| September | 饢瑪饢瑵饢 饢瑔饢 饢瑎饢饢瑸 | Tsiab kub leej | [Lub] Cuaj hli |
| October | 饢瑎饢饢 饢瑡饢饢饢 | Peem tshais | [Lub] Kaum hli |
| November | 饢瑢饢饢瑸 饢瑎饢 饢瑎饢饢 | Looj keev txheem | [Lub] Kaum ib hli |
| December | 饢瑧饢饢饢 饢瑤饢 | Npuag cawb | [Lub] Kaum ob hli |
Days of the week
[edit | edit source]| Gregorian Days | Hmong Days | Hmong RPA | Informal (in RPA) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | 饢瑯饢饢饢 饢瑔饢饢 | Zwj hnub | Hnub ib |
| Monday | 饢瑯饢饢饢 饢瑑饢 | Zwj hli | Hnub ob |
| Tuesday | 饢瑯饢饢饢 饢瑧饢饢饢 | Zwj quag | Hnub peb |
| Wednesday | 饢瑯饢饢饢 饢瑎饢饢瑴饢 | Zwj feeb | Hnub plaub |
| Thursday | 饢瑯饢饢饢 饢瑎饢饢饢 | Zwj teeb | Hnub tsib |
| Friday | 饢瑯饢饢饢 饢瑦饢 | Zwj kuab | Hnub rau |
| Saturday | 饢瑯饢饢饢 饢瑮饢饢 | Zwj cag | Hnub xya |
Seasons
[edit | edit source]| English | Pahawh Hmong | Hmong RPA |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | 饢瑠饢饢 饢瑢饢饢饢 饢瑢饢饢 饢瑢饢饢饢 饢瑣饢饢饢 饢瑮饢 | Caij nplooj xyoob nplooj ntoos hlav |
| Summer | 饢瑠饢饢 饢瑔饢饢饢 饢瑨饢饢饢 | Caij ntuj sov |
| Autumn/Fall | 饢瑠饢饢 饢瑢饢饢饢 饢瑢饢饢 饢瑢饢饢饢 饢瑣饢饢饢 饢瑏饢饢饢 | Caij nplooj xyoob nplooj ntoos zeeg |
| Winter | 饢瑠饢饢 饢瑔饢饢饢 饢瑩饢饢 | Caij ntuj no |
Moon cycle counting system
[edit | edit source]The Hmong lunar calendar divides the month into three main moon cycles:
- Waxing Crescent (饢瑑饢 饢瑪饢, Hli xiab), occurring during the first 14 days of the month and corresponding to the moon's progression toward the full moon, including the first half moon phase.
- Full Moon (饢瑑饢 饢瑮饢饢瑵, Hli ntsa): This cycle occurs specifically on the 15th day of the month, which is the full moon phase.
- Waning Gibbous (饢瑑饢 饢瑑饢饢饢, Hli nqig): This cycle spans the last 14 days of the month, during which the moon wanes, including the second half moon phase.
Following the waning gibbous, the entire cycle repeats, mirroring the structure of other East Asian, Southeast Asian, and international moon cycles.
Moon counting system
[edit | edit source]| International moon cycles | Hmong moon cycles | Day(s) counted |
|---|---|---|
| Waxing moon | Pahawh: 饢瑑饢 饢瑬饢饢; RPA: Hli xab | Day 1-14 |
| Full moon | Pahawh: 饢瑑饢 饢瑮饢饢瑵 / 饢瑳饢饢瑵; RPA: Hli ntsa / ntsaa | Day 15 |
| Waning moon | Pahawh: 饢瑑饢 饢瑝饢饢饢; RPA: Hli nqeg | Day 16-29 |
| New moon | Pahawh: 饢瑑饢 饢瑧饢饢饢 / 饢瑳饢饢饢; RPA: Hli tuag / taag | Day 30 |
| First appearing of waxing moon | repeats? | 1st day |
| First quarter (half moon) | repeats? | 8th day |
| Full moon | repeats? | 15th day |
| Third quarter (half moon) | repeats? | 22nd day |
| New moon | repeats? | 30th day |
Hmong zodiac
[edit | edit source]
According to Hmong folklore, a long time ago, the almighty god (Pahawh: 饢瑥饢饢 饢瑒饢饢; RPA: Yawg Saum) decided to select animals to represent each Lunar Year. To ensure fairness between species, as the incident involved both heaven and the underworld, he chose an equal number of domestic and wild animals. This resulted in a total of 12 zodiac animals (Pahawh: 饢瓚饢瓛 饢瑖饢饢饢 饢瑪饢饢瑵饢 饢瑮 饢瑣饢饢饢; RPA: 12 tug tsiaj kav xyoo) to represent each Lunar New Year.[3][4]
The 12 animals are as follows:
- Rat (Pahawh: 饢瑮饢饢 / 饢瑳饢饢; RPA: Nas/ Naas)
- Cow (Pahawh: 饢瑔饢饢饢; RPA: Nyuj)
- Tiger (Pahawh: 饢瑨饢饢瑵饢 / 饢瑔饢饢瑵饢; RPA: Tsov / Tsuv)
- Rabbit (Pahawh: 饢瑦饢饢瑸; RPA: Luav)
- Dragon (Pahawh: 饢瑬饢饢饢 / 饢瑲饢饢饢; RPA: Zaj / Zaaj)
- Snake (Pahawh: 饢瑬饢饢 / 饢瑲饢饢; RPA: Nab / Naab)
- Horse (Pahawh: 饢瑏饢饢; RPA: Nees)
- Goat (Pahawh: 饢瑑饢饢饢; RPA: Tshis)
- Monkey (Pahawh: 饢瑪饢瑸 / 饢瑬饢饢瑸; RPA: Liab / Lab)
- Rooster (Pahawh: 饢瑠饢饢饢 / 饢瑬饢饢饢; RPA: Qaib / Qab)
- Dog (Pahawh: 饢瑝饢瑸饢 / 饢瑝饢饢; RPA: Dev / Dlev)
- Pig (Pahawh: 饢瑧饢饢; RPA: Npua)
Important facts
[edit | edit source]- In the Hmong calendar, each moon cycle (one month) has 30 days.
- Each year has an average of about 354 days.
- A full extra month (30 days) is added every three years, making 13 moon cycles- this is the leap year.
- In a 19-years span, about 7 additional months are added as leap months.
- Based on Hmong farming (Pahawh: 饢瑢饢饢 饢瑨饢饢 饢瑢饢饢 饢瑣饢饢瑸; RPA: Hmoob cov qoob loo), the leap year is specifically considered to have two 8th months (Pahawh: 饢瑦饢饢 饢瓛 饢瑔饢饢瑸 饢瑐饢 饢瑑饢; RPA: muaj 2 lub yim hli).
Usages
[edit | edit source]- Calculating age, time, generation(s), year(s), etc.
- Determining a legal birth name (with great meanings鈥攍uck, fortune, blessing); and old age name.[5]
- Analyzing the cause of illness (physical, spiritual, or both), the best time to hunt, attend outdoor activities, doing businesses, making profits, etc.
- Foretelling risky or dangerous event(s)/situation(s); the way to alter a risky pathway, etc.
White Hmong / Hmoob Dawb
Green Hmong / Moob Leeg
black/hmong hmoob leeg
References
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