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Calendar

Tibetan people, Tibet

For the seclusion and different plateau climate from the inner land, the Tibetans used their own wisdom to explore astronomic changes in their productions and daily life, and finally created a rough series of rules as their guide. Before 100 BC, the indigenous religion of Tibet - Bon marked off months according to the circle of changes of the moon. Later they calculated the recursive date of the Winter Solstice, which was then fixed as the beginning of a year. They also extracted some ideas from the Indian Calendar when Buddhism was introduced from there. In the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907), Princess Wencheng was married to the King of Tibet - Songtsen Gampo - and also brought the imperial calendar (or lunar calendar) of Han people there. The Tibetan Calendar was greatly developed after absorbing these foreign essence. It was finally identified as a formal calendar in the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368) when Tibet was ruled by the Mongol like the inner land, and had been passed on until now.
By the formal Tibetan Calendar, there are 12 months of 354 days a year on average, which was divided into longer months of 30 days and shorter months of 29 days. Passing 1,000 days more or less, another month intervenes to adjust the harmony between months and climate. So the Tibetan New Year and the similar Lunar New Year (Chinese Spring Festival), form a relationship of 'Circle of Three Years' with each other. That is, their dates are the same in the first year, and have a discrepancy of one day the second year and one month the third year. Then they meet again in the fourth year and are circulated like that. The Tibetan Calendar has a similar way of counting years as the Lunar Calendar by the connection of 10 Heavenly Stems and 12 Earthen Branches to designate marks of order. But the Five Elements (Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth) and 12 Zodiac Attributes (Mouse, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Chicken, Dog, Pig) are used to replace them and either 'Solar' or 'Lunar' is appended before. For example, we can name a Tibetan year as 'Solar Water Dog'. There is a small circle every 12 years and a big circle 60 years. So 'Solar' and 'Lunar' are often omitted in use without any misunderstanding. The first circle of Tibetan Calendar began in 1027, and the year of 1982 was called as 'Water Dog' in Tibet according to this method.

The Tibetan Calendar also uses 24 solar terms to predict the movement of the Five Planet as well as Solar and Lunar Eclipse. Besides, it can also calculate changes of weather and climate and the earthquake according to the location of the Nine Planets of Solar System, which is out of reach for other calendars. For its research on climate, weather and geography, Tibetan Calendar is also widely advocated in Tibetan Medicine  for picking and making herbal medicines, pulse examination and other treatments. Tibetan festivals  are also dated on this calendar.

  • 2013 - 2015 Celebration Date Contrast of Tibetan Festivals

    Festivals
    Date Contrast
    Tibetan Calendar
    Gregorian Calendar
    2013
    2014
    2015
    Tibetan New Year in Shigatse Area
    Dec.1
    Jan. 12
    Jan. 2
    Jan. 21
    Sera Monastery Festival
    Dec.27
    Feb. 7
    Jan. 27
    Feb. 15
    Tibetan New Year (Beginning of Water Snake)
    Jan.1
    Feb. 11
    Jan. 31
    Feb. 20
    Beginning of Monlam Great Prayer Festival
    Jan.4
    Feb. 14
    Feb. 3
    Feb. 23
    Butter Lamp Festival
    Jan.15
    Feb. 25
    Feb. 13
    Mar. 4
    Cham (Lama Dancing) in Tshurpu Monastery
    Apr.10
    May 20
    May 7
    May 26
    Saga Dawa Festival
    Apr.15
    May 25
    May 12
    May 31
    Cham (Lama Dancing) in Drigung-til Monastery
    Apr.26
    Jun. 4
    May 24
    Jun. 12
    Beginning of Shigatse Thangka Festival
    May 13
    Jun. 21
    Jun. 9
    Jun. 27
    World Incense Festival
    May 15
    Jun. 23
    Jun. 11
    Jun. 29
    Dharma Wheel Festival
    Jun.4
    Jul. 12
    Jul. 1
    Jul. 20
    Ganden Thangka Festival
    Jun.15
    Jul. 22
    Jul. 15
    Jul. 29
    Beginning of Shoton Festival
    Jun.30
    Aug. 6
    Jul. 26
    Aug. 15
    Drak Yerpa Thangka Festival
    Jul.10
    Aug. 16
    Aug. 4
    Aug. 22
    Buddha’s Descending
    Sep.22
    Oct. 26
    Oct. 14
    Nov. 4
    Tibetan New Year in Kongbo Area
    Oct.1
    Nov. 4
    Nov. 23
    Nov. 13
    Palden Lhamo Festival
    Oct.15
    Nov. 17
    Dec. 5
    Nov. 27
    Butter Lamp Festival
    Oct.26
    Nov. 29
    Dec. 17
    Dec. 8
    Philosophical Debate at Jang Monastery
    Nov.15
    Dec. 17
    Jan. 5, 2015
    Dec. 27
Comments and Questions

I wanted to know the exect date n month in western calender when I was born I.e on 1st day of 11th month water dog year.i wanted to rewrite my ke-Tse .so if possible also try to mention all the details needed for it . I was born at 7:---- pm my mother told... It LL b very helpful if U also mention the karma, sa, tendrell. It will be appreciated if U can send the pdf file of calender for the mention year... Thanking U la..

Reply

4/14/2013 1:45:00 AM

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Asked by sonam yeshi dorjee

Hi I m Pema and my date of birth according to the BHutanese calender is 13 day of the fifth month in the year 1981. can u tell me the western calender. Thank you

Reply

12/29/2011 11:26:00 PM

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Asked by Pema (Bhutan)

hi, according to bhutanese calender my date of birth is 15 day of 10th month, can i hav the date for western calender

Reply

9/15/2011 9:20:00 PM

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Asked by wangdra (Bhutan)

I find that it is the same day in western calender.

9/16/2011 8:00:00 PM

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Mark

according to Bhutanese calender i was born on 18th of tenth month in the year 1990, i think Bhutanese and Tibetan calenders are same. so i want to kno the westerner's date which corresponds to that day. i would be grateful if u could find it la.

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9/14/2011 3:20:00 AM

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Asked by sangay (Bhutan)

hi Sangay,
the Bhutanese Calender is a little different from the Tibetan Calender.

9/14/2011 7:55:00 PM

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Bill

hi
plz anyone can help me to find out my birthday? i was born on 25 of second month and year 1990 according to tibetan calendar. In year of Iron horse so, i wan to know what was the western date during that day. plz help me any body. tahnking you

Reply

4/18/2011 7:37:00 AM

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Asked by choezom (India)

My date of birth according to tibetan calendar is bird year 1981
month 03 and day 03 tuesday but i could not find my exact date of birth according to that in western calendar.

Reply

2/26/2011 12:30:00 AM

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Asked by Tenjing (Nepal)

i was born on 1981's friday and 9th day 9th month of the bhutanese calender but i dont know th exact date and month.would you mind to find out my exact date and month?


thanking you


regards
kinzang norbu
bhutan

Reply

1/1/2011 8:45:00 AM

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Asked by kinzang norbu (Bhutan)

is there any festival betwen december and january 15, 2010..

Reply

11/4/2010 12:37:00 PM

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Asked by salem (China)

hi,
what i got from the above form is there are two: the butter lamp festival on 1st Dee. and Philosophical Debate at Jang Monastery on 21st Dec.

11/6/2010 9:06:00 PM

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David

Hello...

if you don't mind would you please let me know about 1981..was it Bird year? and what month was 6th month of Tibet calendar....

hope to get your answer at my hotmail add.....

Reply

10/3/2010 4:32:00 AM

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Asked by Gom Tsering (Thailand)

the year 1981 is the year of Rooster.

10/5/2010 10:28:00 PM

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Bruce

was it rabbit year in 1977?

Reply

9/21/2010 2:40:00 PM

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Asked by pema (Nepal)

no, it was the year of snake.

9/24/2010 9:23:00 PM

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andy

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