The Javanese Calendar

Part of a Javanese calendar.

The Javanese calendar is a calendar still in use by the Javanese people of Indonesia concurrently with two other important calendars, the Gregorian calendar and the Islamic calendar. The Gregorian calendar is the official calendar of the Republic of Indonesia and civil society. The Islamic calendar is used by Muslims and Government for religious worship and deciding relevant Muslim public holidays.

The Javanese calendar is used almost exclusively by the people of Java including the main ethnicities of Java island: Javanese, Madurese and Sundanese- primarily as a cultural icon, a cultural identifier and as an object and tradition of antiquity to be kept alive. The Javanese calendar is used for cultural and metaphysical purposes of these Javanese peoples.

The current Javanese calendar was inaugurated by Sultan Agung of Mataram in the Gregorian year 1633.
Prior, Javanese had used the Hindu calendar or Saka calendar which that starts in 78 CE and uses the solar cycle for calculating time. Sultan Agung's Javanese calendar retained the Saka calendar date of origin but differs by using the same lunar year measurement system as the Islamic calendar (based on the lunar month). Occasionally it is referred by its' Latin name Anno Javanico or AJ (Javanese Year)

The Javanese calendar contains multiple, overlapping separate measurements of times, called cycles.

  • the five-day Pasaran cycle of five days
  • the common Gregorian seven-day week
  • the month-cycles of Mangsa and Wulan month-long cycles
  • the year-cycles Tahun cycles of years
  • and octo-ennia (8 year) cycles called Windu.

The Javanese derive mystical meaning from the coincidence of these multiple cycles. Coincidence is an important part of the Javanese aesthetic, for example the use of seleh and gongan metrical cycles in Javanese music

The Cycles of Time

Pasaran cycle

The pasaran cycle is so termed from the Javanese 'pasaran'-literally 'marketplace-related. The pasaran cycle and week lasts five days- with villagers gathering communally at the local market to meet socially, engage in commerce, buying and selling wares, produce, foods, etc.

Itinerant merchants would visit different villages each day of the Pasaran week. Some hypothesise that the length of the week/cycle is related to the number of fingers on the hand.

The Pasaran week is divided into days as follows, please note the (ngoko and krama in parentheses):

  1. Legi (Manis)
  2. Pahing (Pait)
  3. Pon (Petak)
  4. Wagé (Cemeng)
  5. Kliwon (Asih)

The origin of these terms is unclear, and their etymology remains obscure. The days are most commonly referred to by their ngoko names. Possibly, the names may be derived from indigenous gods, like the European and Asian names[3]. An ancient Javanese manuscript illustrates the week with five human figures (shown at right below the day names): a man seizing a suppliant by the hair, a woman holding a horn to receive an offering, a man pointing a drawn sword at another, a woman holding agricultural produce, and a man holding a spear leading a bull.

Additionally, Javanese consider these days' names to have a mystical relation to colors and cardinal direction

  • Legi represents white and East
  • Pahing represents red and South
  • Pon represents yellow and West
  • Wage represents black and North
  • Kliwon represents blurred colors and focus and 'center'

Markets no longer operate under this traditional Pasaran cycle, instead pragmatically remaining open every day of the Gregorian week. Javanese astrological belief dictates that individual characteristics, future etc., are attributable to the coincidence of the Pasaran day and the 'common' weekdays of the Islamic calendar derived week cycle on that person's birthday. Additionally, great meaning is often attributed to specific 7-day week and Pasaran weekday concurrences. For example in Surakarta, there is Pasar Legi, Pasar Pon, and Pasar Kliwon, which had markets on the given days. The Pasaran week is an integral part of the Wetonan cycle that Javanese find of greatest interest in their astrological interpretations.

Seven-day week

The seven-day long week cycle (dina pitu, "seven days") is derived from the Islamic calendar. The names of the days of the week in Javanese are derived from their Arabic counterparts.

  • Senin - Monday
  • Selasa - Tuesday
  • Rebo - Wednesday
  • Kemis - Thursday
  • Jemuwah - Friday
  • Setu - Saturday
  • Minggu/Ahad - Sunday
Wetonan cycle

Wetonan cycle

The Wetonan cycle is especially important for divinatory systems, and important celebrations, rites of passage, commemorations and so forth are held on days considered to be auspicious, known as the Weton.

An especially prominent example widely still taught at primary schools is the Weton for the Proclamation of the Republic of Indonesia on August 17, 1945,was a Jumat legi, coinciding with the Weton for the birth and death of Sultan Agung, considered one of the greatest kings of Java history.

Friday Legi is considered an important night for pilgrimage. There are also taboos that relate to the cycle; for example, the ritual dance bedhaya can only be performed on Thursday Kliwon. The coincidence of the Psaaran day with the common day on the day of birth is considered by Javanese to indicate the personal characteristics of that person, similar to the Western Zodiak and planetary positioning in Western astrology.

Pawukon

Pawukon is a 210-day cycle related to Hindu tradition. Though most associated with Bali, Java refers to it for special purposes. The calendar consists of concurrent weeks, and has a set of ten weeks, which have a duration of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 days. The first day of the year is considered the first day of all ten weeks. As 210 is not divisible by 4, 8, or 9, extra days must be added to the 4-, 8-, and 9-day weeks.

  • The days of the Dasawara (ten day week) are Sri, Pati, Raja, Manuh, Duka, Manusa, Raksasa, Suka, Dewa, and Pandita.
  • The days of the Sangawara (nine day week) are Dangu, Jangur, Gigis, Nohan, Ogan, Erangan, Urungan, Tulus, Dadi.
  • The days of the Asatawara (eight day week) are Sri, Indra, Guru, Yama, Ludra, Brahma, Kala, Uma.
  • The days of the Saptawara (seven day week) are Redite, Coma, Anggara, Buda, Wraspati, Sukra, Saniscara.
  • The days of the Sadwara (six day week) are Tungleh, Aryang, Urukung, Paniron, Was, Maulu.
  • The days of the Pancawara (five day week) are Paing, Pon, Wage, Keliwon, Umanis.
  • The days of the Caturwara (four day week) are Sri, Laba, Jaya, Menala.
  • The days of the Triwara (three day week) are Pasah, Beteng, and Kajeng.
  • The days of the Dwiwara (two day week) are Menga, Pept.
  • The day of the Ekawara (one day week) is Luang.

Dates

For timekeeping, days are numbered within the lunar month (wulan) as is common in other calendar systems. The date indicates the change in the moon, and symbolizes the life of a human in the world. This process of revolving life is known as cakra manggilingan or heru cakra. On the first day of the month, when the moon is small, it is compared to a newborn baby. The 14th day, called Purnama Sidhi (full moon), represents a married adult. The next day, called Purnama, occurs as the moon begins to wane. The 20th day, Panglong, symbolizes the point at which people begin to lose their memory. The 25th day, Sumurup, represents the point at which the adult requires care like when they were young. The 26th day, Manjing, represents the return of the human to his or her origin.

months

Pranata Mangsa

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

In the 19th century, the solar month system or pranata mangsa was much better known among Javanese than the civil or religious year. The cycle is clearly of Javanese origin, since the specific application to their climate does not match other territories in the Indonesian archipelago, as well as the usage of Javanese names for the months. Although the cycle matches the weather pattern well, it is still clearly somewhat arbitrary, as can be seen in the lengths of the months.

The pranata mangsa can be used to predict personality traits in a similar manner to sun signs in Western astrology. It is not widely used anymore for divination, but some practitioners use it as well as the other cycles in their divination.

Starting day Name Length of days Description
Jun 23 Mangsa Kaso 41 The dry season; leaves are falling from the trees; the ground is withered and arid, bereft of water "like a jewel that has come free of its setting."
Aug 3 Mangsa Karo 23 The dry season; parched earth lies in hard clumps; the mango and cotton trees begin to bloom.
Aug 26 Mangsa Katelu 24 The dry season; spice roots are harvested; the gadung tree begins to bear fruit.
Sep 19 Mangsa Kapat 25 Rain begins to fall, as "tears well up in the soul", marking the end of the dry season; birds are singing and busily constructing nests. The Labuh Season is at hand.
Oct 14 Mangsa Kalima 27 The rainy season, sometimes with fierce winds and flooding; mangoes are ripe; snakes are driven from their nests; "a fountain of gold falls across the earth".
Nov 11 Mangsa Kanem 43 The rainy season; lightning strikes and there are landslides; but it is also the season of many fruit.
Dec 23 Mangsa Kapitu 43 The rainy season is at its peak; birds are hard pressed to find food, and in many areas there is severe flooding.
Feb 4/5 Mangsa Kawolu 27 The rainy season; rice fields are growing and the cat is looking for his mate; grubs and larvae abound.
Mar 2 Mangsa Kasanga 25 The rainy season; rice fields are turning yellow; "happy news is spreading"; water is stored within the earth, the wind blows in one direction, and many fruits are ripe.
Mar 27 Mangsa Kasadasa 24 Rain yet falls, but is diminishing; the wind rustles and blows hard; the air is still chilly. The Mareng Season is at hand.
Apr 20 Mangsa Desta 23 The dry season has begun; farmers are harvesting the rice fields; birds tend their young with affection, as if they were "jewels of the heart".
May 13 Mangsa Saddha 41 The dry season; water begins to recede, "vanishing from its many places".

Wulan

Each lunar year (tahun) is divided into a series of twelve wulan ("months", of 29 or 30 days each). This is similar to the use of months in the Islamic calendar. The names of the month are given below (in krama/ngoko)

  • Warana/Sura (30 days)
  • Wadana/Sapar (29 days)
  • Wijanga/Mulud (30 days)
  • Wiyana/Bakda Mulud (29 days)
  • Widada/Jumadil Awal (30 days)
  • Widarpa/Jumadil Akhir (29 days)
  • Wilarpa/Rejeb (30 days)
  • Wahana/Ruwah (29 days)
  • Wanana/Pasa (30 days)
  • Wurana/Sawal (29 days)
  • Wujana/Sela (30 days)
  • Wujala/Besar (29 or 30 days, depending on the length of the tahun, see below)

The cycle of months is considered metaphorically to represent the cycle of human life. The first nine months represent gestation before birth, while the tenth month represents the human in the world, the eleventh the end of his or her existence, and the twelfth the return to where he or she came from. The cycle thus goes from one spark or conception (rijal) to another, traversing through the void (suwung).
Year designation

The Shalivahana era, which started in 78 CE and continues to be used on Bali, was used in Hindu times on Java, and for well over a century after the appearance of Islam on Java. When Sultan Agung adopted the Islamic lunar calendar in 1633 CE, he did not adopt the Anno Hegirae to designate those years, but instead continued the count of the Shalivahana era, which was 1555 at the time.[15] As a result, the Anno Javanico does not in effect count from any time.

Cycles of years

Eight tahun makes up a windu. A single windu lasts for 81 repetitions of the wetonan cycle, or 2,835 days (about 7 years 9 months in the Gregorian calendar). Note that the tahun are lunar years, and of shorter length than Gregorian years. The names of the years in the cycle of windu are as follows (in krama/ngoko):

  • Purwana/Alip (354 days)
  • Karyana/Ehé (354 days)
  • Anama/Jemawal (355 days)
  • Lalana/Jé (354 days)
  • Ngawanga/Dal (355 days)
  • Pawaka/Bé (354 days)
  • Wasana/Wawu (354 days)
  • Swasana/Jimakir (355 days)

The windu are then grouped into a cycle of four.

  • Windu Adi
  • Windu Kunthara
  • Windu Sengara
  • Windu Sancaya

The cycles of wulan, tahun, and windu derive from the Saka calendar.
Windu are no longer used much in horoscopy, but there is evidence that there were previously used by court officials to predict trends. The passing of a windu is often seen as a milestone and deserving a slametan ritual feast).

Dino Mulyo

Dino Mulyo (literally "noble days") are celebrated by worshipping Gusti, the creator of life and the universe. Practitioners of traditional Javanese spiritual teachings have preserved five noble days

  • Satu Suro, the first of Sura, the New Year
  • Aboge (from A - alip (first year), Bo - rebo (Wednesday), and Ge - Wage of the pasaran), celebrated on Wednesday Wage in the year of alip
  • Daltugi (from Dal - Dal (fifth year), tu - setu (Saturday), and Gi - Legi of the pasaran), celebrated on Saturday Legi in the year of Dal
  • Hanggara Asih (Tuesday Kliwon)
  • Dino Purnomo: Jemuah Legi/Sukra Manis (Friday Legi)