The use of the Javanese Calendar
Ditulis pada: April 02, 2022
The Javanese calendar is one of the day counting systems adopted by the Javanese people. In this system, the calculation of days is based on the rotation of the month and the number of days in a month between 29 and 30 days.
While in the Gregorian calendar, calculations are made using the rotation of the sun. In addition, the number of days in the Gregorian calendar for a month is 30 or 31 days, except in February.
Another difference between the Javanese calendar and the Gregorian calendar system is in the number of days in the week. In the Gregorian system, the rotation of the day takes place in seven days. While on the Javanese calendar, the rotation of the day occurs in five days.
There are also differences in the mention of the day between the two calendar systems. In the Christian system, the name of the day used is the same as we are familiar with so far.
Starting from Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. While in the Javanese calendar system the names of the days used are Legi, Pahing, Pon, Wage, and Kliwon.
In addition, the Javanese calendar system is only known in people's lives on the island of Java, especially in the areas of Central Java, Yogyakarta and East Java. Meanwhile, people in West Java, Jakarta and Banten pay less attention to the problem of calculating the Javanese calendar.
This is because the origin of the emergence of the Javanese calendar system began when the kingdom was still in power on the island of Java. One of the kingdoms that is considered to be the pioneer in calculating the Javanese calendar system is the ancient Mataram kingdom.
That is why the Javanese calendar system is still so strongly adhered to by some people in Central Java and Yogyakarta, which is the location where the kingdom used to be.
The use of the Javanese calendar
In the midst of the onslaught of modern technology today, the Javanese calendar system has not been completely abandoned. The difference is, at this time the use of the Javanese calendar is only used as a marker of something.
In contrast to the period when the kingdom was still victorious, at that time the Javanese calendar was often used to determine the time of mystical or supernatural activities. One of the Javanese days that was considered sacred in the past was Kliwon Friday and Kliwon Tuesday. Both days are believed by many spirits who are wandering looking for prey.
But in general, there are some people who still have faith in the meaning of the Javanese calendar. Some of the things that are still often associated with the Javanese calendar include:
Calculation of auspicious days. Usually the determination of this auspicious day is used to choose the time of carrying out an activity, such as the implementation of a wedding ceremony, the day of moving house, the time to process a woman's proposal.
Match Selection. For those who still believe in the Javanese calendar, the day of birth is very decisive in the suitability of a person's soul mate. Likewise, there are couples who are considered not to be in a relationship because they have a birthday that is considered inappropriate.
As for those born on the day of Wage and Pahing, it is considered very taboo to marry because of conflicting characters.
Determine the market day. Market day is a day on which a transaction on a certain commodity is carried out in one place. For example, the animal market is held on Pon's day, the vegetable market is held on Pahing's day and so on.
Ritual events. For those who still believe in dynamism, there are certain days that are considered very valid to perform a ritual that they believe in. Usually the days chosen are Kliwon Friday and Kliwon Tuesday.
