Dangun calendar
Official calendar of South Korea from 1948 to 1961
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Dangun calendar (Korean: 단군기원; Hanja: 檀君紀元) is a Korean calendar system whose epoch is set as the year 2333 BC, the legendary year of the founding of Gojoseon by Dangun Wanggeom. It was the official calendar system of South Korea from 1948 to 1961.
Dates are calculated from Korea's meridian (135th meridian east in modern time for South Korea), and observances and festivals are based on Korean culture.[citation needed]
History
The ancient East Asian state of Gojoseon is widely considered the first state of the Korean nation.[citation needed] The founding myth of Gojoseon, as recounted by Il-yeon's 13th-century text Samguk Yusa, denotes that the kingdom was founded by the mythical deity Dangun fifty years after the enthronement of the legendary Chinese Emperor Yao, on the year of gyeongin (2311 BC).[1] On a separate note, however, Il-yeon added that he believed the actual date of foundation was on the year of jeongsa (2284 BC).[2] Alternatively, citing Sima Guang's Zizhi Tongjian and Yi Sŭnghyu's Chewang un'gi, the Tongguk t'onggam argues that the year of Gojoseon's foundation was the year of mujin (2333 BC), only twenty-five years after the rise of Emperor Yao.[2]
On a petition to King Gongmin, Paek Munbo, a civil servant of Goryeo, advised the King to expand the studies of Confucianism further, arguing that, as a heavenly cycle of 3600 years had passed since the founding of Gojoseon, a new anniversary of opportunities would be bestowed upon the kingdom.[3]
The Dangun calendar was later adopted by followers of Daejongism, a new religious movement founded in 1909 that centered on the worship of figures of Korean mythology. It became the official calendar of the Republic of Korea on September 25, 1948, under the Reign-Title Act (연호에 관한 법률).[4] The Gregorian calendar was adopted as the official calendar of South Korea in December 1961, effectively replacing the Dangun calendar from January 1, 1962.[3]