The Hmong calendar (Pahawh: ; RPA: Hmoob daim teej cim zwj) is a lunar calendar used by the Hmong people, based on the traditional Chinese calendar. According to Hmong legends and folklore, the calendar has been in use since ancient times, although its exact origins remain unknown.
System The Hmong lunar calendar operates using a system of revolving cycles of days (Pahawh: ; RPA: hnub), weeks (Pahawh: ; RPA: plua), months (Pahawh: ; RPA: hli), and years (Pahawh: ; RPA: xyoo). This system incorporates both moon cycles and the Hmong zodiac; the latter is based on the Chinese zodiac.
Day
A day ( / ; hnub / nub) is considered both traditionally and currently to be the time from one midnight to the next. While the Hmong people reckoned a day by hours, the concept of fixed hours does not seem to exist, nor do they follow the traditional Chinese timekeeping system; instead, they rely on generic terms to describe broad descriptors of time, such as sawv ntxov for morning (which can range from 03:00 to 11:59), tav su for afternoon (13:00 to 16:00), and ib tag hmo for midnight (00:00).
Day of the week Gregorian Days Hmong RPA Hmong Days Informal (in RPA)Sunday Zwj hnub Hnub ibMonday Zwj hli Hnub obTuesday Zwj quag Hnub pebWednesday Zwj feeb Hnub plaubThursday Zwj teeb Hnub tsibFriday Zwj kuab Hnub rauSaturday Zwj cag Hnub xya
Months A month (; hli) is considered both traditionally and currently to be the time from one new moon to the next. In the Hmong calendar, each month last for around 30 days. Odd-numbered months that starts with the day of the Snake and ends with the day of the Rabbit, are called hli khib (), while even-numbered months that starts with the day of the pig and ends with the day of the Dragon, are called hli khub (). Month NumberStarts on Gregorian date *Formal, Hmong RPAPahawh HmongGregorian MonthsInformal, Hmong RPA12between 21 January – 20 FebruaryTsov hli / tsuv hli / JanuaryIb hlis1between 20 February – 21 MarchLuav hliFebruaryOb hlis2between 21 March – 20 AprilZaj hli / zaaj hliMarchPeb hlis3between 20 April – 21 MayNas hli / naas hliAprilPlaub hlis4between 21 May – 21 JuneNeeg hliMayTsib hlis5between 21 June – 23 JulyYaj hli / yaaj hliJuneRau hlis6between 23 July – 23 AugustDev hli / dlev hliJulyXya hlis7between 23 August – 23 SeptemberQais hli / qa hli / AugustYim hlis8between 23 September – 23 OctoberLiab hli / lab hliSeptemberCuaj hlis9between 23 October – 22 NovemberNpua hliOctoberKaum hlis10between 22 November – 22 DecemberNas hli / naag hliNovemberKaum ib hlis11between 22 December – 21 JanuaryNyuj hliDecemberKaum ob hlis Gregorian dates are approximate and should be used with caution. Many years have intercalary months.
Gregorian names for months cannot be used for name-equivalent months in the Hmong calendar, but informal Hmong months can be used for name-equivalent months in the Gregorian names; for example, Hmong New Year, which traditionally falls on the 30th day of the twelve lunar month in the Hmong calendar, cannot be written as 30th December.
Year A year (; xyoo) is based upon the time of one revolution of Earth around the Sun, rounded to whole days. Traditionally, a year starts around the first month of the lunar calendar (typically the month of the Rabbit).
Much like the traditional Chinese calendar, a 12-month-year using this system can last an average of about 354 days, which would drift significantly from the tropical year. To fix this, one full extra month is added in approximately every three years, making a 13-month leap year. Based on traditional Hmong farming almanacs (Pahawh: ; RPA: Hmoob cov qoob loo), the leap year is specifically considered to have one month repeated twice (Pahawh: ; RPA: muaj 2 lub yim hli), usually the eighth month of the lunar calendar.
Seasons English Hmong RPA Pahawh Hmong Spring Caij nplooj xyoob nplooj ntoos hlav Summer Caij ntuj sov Autumn/Fall Caij nplooj xyoob nplooj ntoos zeeg Winter Caij ntuj no
Moon cycle counting system The Hmong lunar calendar divides the month into three main moon cycles:
Waxing Crescent (𖬃𖬥 𖬔𖬮, Hli xiab), occurring during the first 14 days of the month and corresponding to the moon's progression toward the full moon, including the first half moon phase. Full Moon (𖬃𖬥 𖬗𖬰𖬝, Hli ntsa): This cycle occurs specifically on the 15th day of the month, which is the full moon phase. Waning Gibbous (𖬃𖬥 𖬃𖬲𖬬𖬰, Hli nqig): This cycle spans the last 14 days of the month, during which the moon wanes, including the second half moon phase.
Following the waning gibbous, the entire cycle repeats, mirroring the structure of other East Asian, Southeast Asian, and international moon cycles.
Moon counting system International moon cycles Hmong moon cycles Day(s) counted Waxing moon Pahawh: / ; RPA: Hli xiab / hli xab 1st to 7th day First quarter (half moon) 8th to 14th day Full moon Pahawh: / ; RPA: Hli nra / hli nraa 15th dayWaning moonPahawh: ; RPA: Hli nqeg16th to 21st day Third quarter (half moon) 22nd to 28th day New moon Pahawh: / ; RPA: Hli tuag / taag 30th day
Hmong zodiac
According to Hmong folklore, a long time ago, the almighty god (Pahawh: ; RPA: Yawg Saum) decided to select animals to represent each Lunar Year. To ensure fairness between species, as the incident involved both heaven and the underworld, he chose an equal number of domestic and wild animals. This resulted in a total of 12 zodiac animals (Pahawh: ; RPA: 12 (kaum-ob) tus tsiaj) to represent each Lunar New Year.
It should be note that while Hmong reckoning of years starts with the year of the Rat, as is traditionally done with the Chinese zodiacs, the Hmong reckoning of months starts with the month of the Rabbit instead of the month of the Tiger.
The 12 animals are as follows:
Rat (Pahawh: / ; RPA: Nas/ Naas) Cow (Pahawh: ; RPA: Nyuj) Tiger (Pahawh: / ; RPA: Tsov / Tsuv) Rabbit (Pahawh: ; RPA: Luav) Dragon (Pahawh: / ; RPA: Zaj / Zaaj) Snake (Pahawh: / ; RPA: Nab / Naab) Horse (Pahawh: ; RPA: Nees) Goat (Pahawh: ; RPA: Tshis) Monkey (Pahawh: / ; RPA: Liab / Lab) Rooster (Pahawh: / ; RPA: Qaib / Qab) Dog (Pahawh: / ; RPA: Dev / Dlev) Pig (Pahawh: ; RPA: Npua)
References