Hmong calendar
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The Hmong calendar (Pahawh: 𖬌𖬣𖬵 𖬊𖬞𖬰 𖬀𖬰𖬧𖬵 𖬂𖬯 𖬘𖬲𖬥𖬰; RPA: Hmoob daim teej cim zwj) is a lunar calendar used by the Hmong people, based on the traditional Chinese calendar.[1] According to Hmong legends and folklore, the calendar has been in use since ancient times, although its exact origins remain unknown.[2][3]
Day
The Hmong lunar calendar operates using a system of revolving cycles of days (Pahawh: 𖬆𖬰𖬩; RPA: hnub), weeks (Pahawh: 𖬑𖬟𖬵; RPA: plua), months (Pahawh: 𖬃𖬥; RPA: hli), and years (Pahawh: 𖬍𖬧𖬰; RPA: xyoo). This system incorporates both moon cycles and the Hmong zodiac; the latter is based on the Chinese zodiac.[4]
A day (𖬆𖬰𖬩 / 𖬆𖬰𖬬; hnub / nub) is considered both traditionally and currently to be the time from one midnight to the next. While the Hmong people reckoned a day by hours, the concept of fixed hours does not seem to exist, nor do they follow the traditional Chinese timekeeping system;[5] instead, they rely on generic terms to describe broad descriptors of time, such as sawv ntxov for morning (which can range from 03:00 to 11:59), tav su for afternoon (13:00 to 16:00), and ib tag hmo for midnight (00:00).[6]
Day of the week
| Gregorian Days | Hmong RPA | Hmong Days | Informal (in RPA) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Zwj hnub | 𖬘𖬲𖬥𖬰 𖬆𖬰𖬩 | Hnub ib |
| Monday | Zwj hli | 𖬘𖬲𖬥𖬰 𖬃𖬥 | Hnub ob |
| Tuesday | Zwj quag | 𖬘𖬲𖬥𖬰 𖬑𖬶𖬦𖬵 | Hnub peb |
| Wednesday | Zwj feeb | 𖬘𖬲𖬥𖬰 𖬀𖬶𖬜𖬵 | Hnub plaub |
| Thursday | Zwj teeb | 𖬘𖬲𖬥𖬰 𖬀𖬶𖬧𖬵 | Hnub tsib |
| Friday | Zwj kuab | 𖬘𖬲𖬥𖬰 𖬐𖬶 | Hnub rau |
| Saturday | Zwj cag | 𖬘𖬲𖬥𖬰 𖬗𖬶𖬯 | Hnub xya |
Months
A month (𖬃𖬥; hli) is considered both traditionally and currently to be the time from one new moon to the next. In the Hmong calendar, each month last for around 30 days.[7] Odd-numbered months that starts with the day of the Snake and ends with the day of the Rabbit, are called hli khib (𖬃𖬥 𖬂𖬲𖬩𖬰), while even-numbered months that starts with the day of the pig and ends with the day of the Dragon, are called hli khub (𖬃𖬥 𖬆𖬰𖬩𖬰).
| Month Number | Starts on Gregorian date * | Formal, Hmong RPA | Pahawh Hmong | Gregorian Months | Informal, Hmong RPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | between 21 January – 20 February | Tsov hli / tsuv hli | 𖬒𖬶𖬝𖬰 𖬃𖬥 / 𖬆𖬲𖬝𖬰 𖬃𖬥 | January | Ib hlis |
| 1 | between 20 February – 21 March | Luav hli | 𖬐𖬲𖬞 𖬃𖬥 | February | Ob hlis |
| 2 | between 21 March – 20 April | Zaj hli / zaaj hli | 𖬖𖬰𖬥𖬰 𖬃𖬥 | March | Peb hlis |
| 3 | between 20 April – 21 May | Nas hli / naas hli | 𖬗𖬲𖬬 𖬃𖬥 | April | Plaub hlis |
| 4 | between 21 May – 21 June | Neeg hli | 𖬁𖬲𖬬 𖬃𖬥 | May | Tsib hlis |
| 5 | between 21 June – 23 July | Yaj hli / yaaj hli | 𖬖𖬰𖬤 𖬃𖬥 | June | Rau hlis |
| 6 | between 23 July – 23 August | Dev hli / dlev hli | 𖬉𖬞𖬰 𖬃𖬥 | July | Xya hlis |
| 7 | between 23 August – 23 September | Qais hli / qa hli | 𖬋𖬰𖬦𖬵 𖬃𖬥 / 𖬗𖬰𖬦𖬵 𖬃𖬥 | August | Yim hlis |
| 8 | between 23 September – 23 October | Liab hli / lab hli | 𖬔𖬞 𖬃𖬥 | September | Cuaj hlis |
| 9 | between 23 October – 22 November | Npua hli | 𖬑𖬨𖬵 𖬃𖬥 | October | Kaum hlis |
| 10 | between 22 November – 22 December | Nas hli / naag hli | 𖬗𖬲𖬬 𖬃𖬥 | November | Kaum ib hlis |
| 11 | between 22 December – 21 January | Nyuj hli | 𖬆𖬶𖬮𖬵 𖬃𖬥 | December | Kaum ob hlis |
*Gregorian dates are approximate and should be used with caution. Many years have intercalary months.
It is important to note that Gregorian names for months cannot be used for name-equivalent months in the Hmong calendar, but informal Hmong months can be used for name-equivalent months in the Gregorian names; for example, Hmong New Year, which traditionally falls on the 30th day of the twelve lunar month in the Hmong calendar[8], cannot be written as 30th December.
Year
A year (𖬍𖬧𖬰; xyoo) is based upon the time of one revolution of Earth around the Sun, rounded to whole days. Traditionally, a year starts around the first month of the lunar calendar (typically the month of the Rabbit[7]).
Much like the traditional Chinese calendar, a 12-month-year using this system can last an average of about 354 days, which would drift significantly from the tropical year. To fix this, one full extra month is added in approximately every three years, making a 13-month leap year. Based on traditional Hmong farming almanacs (Pahawh: 𖬌𖬣𖬵 𖬒𖬶𖬯 𖬌𖬦𖬵 𖬍𖬰𖬞; RPA: Hmoob cov qoob loo), the leap year is specifically considered to have one month repeated twice (Pahawh: 𖬐𖬰𖬦 𖭒 𖬆𖬰𖬞 𖬂𖬤 𖬃𖬥; RPA: muaj 2 lub yim hli), usually the eighth month of the lunar calendar.
Seasons
| English | Hmong RPA | Pahawh Hmong |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | Caij nplooj xyoob nplooj ntoos hlav | 𖬊𖬶𖬯 𖬌𖬲𖬫𖬰 𖬌𖬧𖬰 𖬌𖬲𖬫𖬰 𖬍𖬲𖬩𖬵 𖬗𖬥 |
| Summer | Caij ntuj sov | 𖬊𖬶𖬯 𖬆𖬶𖬩𖬵 𖬒𖬶𖬤𖬵 |
| Autumn/Fall | Caij nplooj xyoob nplooj ntoos zeeg | 𖬊𖬶𖬯 𖬌𖬲𖬫𖬰 𖬌𖬧𖬰 𖬌𖬲𖬫𖬰 𖬍𖬲𖬩𖬵 𖬁𖬲𖬥𖬰 |
| Winter | Caij ntuj no | 𖬊𖬶𖬯 𖬆𖬶𖬩𖬵 𖬓𖬰𖬬 |
