Karma Kagyu Buddhist Network
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A Note on the Tibetan Calendar

The Tibetan calendar is divided into major cycles of sixty years duration. These sixty-year cycles are themselves divided into five minor twelve-year cycles, each year of which is identified by the name of an animal, bird or reptile. The twelve years are also paired consecutively with a distinguishing Element. There are five such Elements, with alternating male and female attributes. Thus each sixty-year cycle runs:
  1. Female Fire Rabbit
  2. Male Earth Dragon
  3. Female Earth Snake
  4. Male Iron Horse
  5. Female Iron Sheep
  6. Male Water Monkey
  7. Female Water Bird
  8. Male Wood Dog
  9. Female Wood Pig
  10. Male Fire Mouse
  11. Female Fire Ox
  12. Male Earth Tiger
  13. Female Earth Rabbit
  14. Male Iron Dragon
  15. Female Iron Snake
  16. and so on.
A year is based on the Lunar calendar, certain days of which are generally considered to be particularly auspicious, as are those falling on the 8th, 10th, 15th, and 25th of the month. When a day is deemed especially unfavorable, owing to a specific combination of the phase of the moon and the point at which it occurs within the sixty-year cycle, such a day may be omitted from the calendar altogether and a more beneficial day of the month doubled in its place.

Tibetan time-systems can be further understood through the great Kalachakra Tantra.

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Most recent update: March 8th, 1997
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