The term Mongolian calendar ( or ) refers to a number of different calendars, the oldest of which was a solar calendar. The beginning of the year was autumn. The year was divided into 4 seasons. The seasons begin at the equinoxes and the solstices of the sun. This calculation was changed in 1211, and the new year was celebrated in the spring. Spring began on March 22.
In 1282,
Kublai Khan revised the
Chinese calendar
The traditional Chinese calendar, dating back to the Han dynasty, is a lunisolar calendar that blends solar, lunar, and other cycles for social and agricultural purposes. While modern China primarily uses the Gregorian calendar for officia ...
and began to include his homeland Mongolia in this calendar.
The traditional Mongol calendar is a
lunisolar calendar
A lunisolar calendar is a calendar in many cultures, that combines monthly lunar cycles with the solar year. As with all calendars which divide the year into months, there is an additional requirement that the year have a whole number of mont ...
based on system developed in 1747 by monk Ishbaljir (; 1704–1788). The Mongol year is composed of either 12 or 13
lunar month
In lunar calendars, a lunar month is the time between two successive syzygies of the same type: new moons or full moons. The precise definition varies, especially for the beginning of the month.
Variations
In Shona, Middle Eastern, and Euro ...
s, each beginning and ending with a
new moon. A thirteenth month is added every two or three years, so that an average year is equal to the
solar year.
The Mongol traditional new year celebration is
Tsagaan Sar which is celebrated at the second
new moon following the
winter solstice
The winter solstice, or hibernal solstice, occurs when either of Earth's geographical pole, poles reaches its maximum axial tilt, tilt away from the Sun. This happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere (Northern Hemisphere, Northern and So ...
. In 2022, the second new moon was on 1 February in Mongolia.
In modern
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...
, the Gregorian calendar is used, with the traditional calendar only used for traditional celebrations and events based on the calendar.
The European system of chronology is called ''Аргын тоолол'' (, chronology of method) and the Mongol system of chronology is called ''Билгийн тоолол'' (, chronology of wisdom).
Argyn toolol
Months
The twelve months of the year are referred to by their number, such as first month, second month, and so on.
Days of the week
In colloquial usage, the first 5 days of the week are referred to as first day, second day, etc. Saturday is referred to as Хагас сайн өдөр (''Khagas sain ödör'', "half-good day"), and Sunday is referred to as Бүтэн сайн өдөр (''Büten sain ödör'', "full good day"); a result of 5 full working days and Saturday as a half working day during the
communist era.
The names of Tibetan origin are used in more formal settings, and almost exclusively in written documents, while the Sanskrit names are practically absent in modern usage.
See also
*
Public holidays in Mongolia
References
{{Calendars
Calendars
Calendar
A calendar is a system of organizing days. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months and years. A calendar date, date is the designation of a single and specific day within such a system. A calendar is ...