Important Dates in the Monastery Year

The Tibetan Calendar System
There are a number of special days marked in the Monastery calendar. These days are taken from the Tibetan calendar which is based on a lunar system with 360 days and 12 months, with an additional month added every 30 months to keep the calendar aligned with the seasons. The rules for calculating the details of the Tibetan calendar are very complicated, and are handed down from master to student in the Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute which prepares a detailed astrological chart for each year. To add to the complexity there are ‘skipped’ days (tsi chad-pa) and doubled days (tsi lhag-pa) – or sometimes even months – depending on the chart’s instructions. The year is not divided into four equal parts as the range of each season is based on the location of the sun in the sky. In general, winter is the longest season, then spring, autumn and finally summer. The calendar dates from 1027AD when the Kalachakra Tantra was introduced from Sanskrit into Tibet, and 2020 in the Western calendar is equivalent to 2147 in Tibetan years.

The 60-Year Cycle and Zodiac
There are twelve animals and five elements assigned to each year in a 60 year cycle called a Rab-byung. These are the Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Bird, Dog, Pig, Mouse, Ox and Tiger, and the elements are Fire, Earth, Iron, Water and Wood. In 2020 we are in the 34th year of the 17th Rab-byung, the year of the Iron Mouse. The next 60-year Rab-byung cycle begins in 2047 (western calendar) with the Fire Rabbit year. Months are numbered rather than named, but each are again ruled by animal signs, the first being the Dragon.

Auspicious Days and Sacred Dates
Particular days of any given month are given special significance, either for good or bad. For example, the 8th day of each lunar month is considered an auspicious day for making offerings to the Goddess Tara. In general, the waxing half of the lunar month is generally considered more auspicious than the waning part of the month, therefore it is better to begin projects near the beginning of the month so that they can increase with the waxing of the moon. The most important date of the Tibetan Buddhist year is Saga Dawa, the anniversary of Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and passing away which falls on the 15th day of the 4th month.

New Year and Festivals
Losar, Tibetan New Year, falls on the 1st day of the 1st Tibetan month, usually in February, and is preceded by the Gutor Festival during the final days of the old year, where the masked dance rituals clear the negative influences from the previous year.