Brief introduction of Tibetan calendar content

Astronomical calendars are widely used in the real life of Tibetan people, such as timing, making calendars, and determining directions. Its content is not only to explore the laws of celestial movement and natural change, but also to explore the close relationship between the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and seasonal climate change (learners have a tradition of learning medical arithmetic, and Tibet Astronomical Calendar Institute is still under the leadership of Tibetan Hospital). Another important content of Tibetan calendar is weather forecast. In ancient times, Tibetans invented many weather forecasting methods, such as observing the colors and shapes of plants, animals, rivers, stars, ice beds and clouds, and judging the weather changes. Through the observation and analysis of the weather conditions during Fox Day, Bird Day, Positive Day, Jackal Day, 2nd-2nd Day, Indoor Wall Day and White Glue Day, combined with the pictures of lions, turtles and five-star sports, the weather conditions in the coming year are predicted, such as snow disaster, hail, frost dew, drought and flood, earthquake and other natural disasters. According to the seasonal activities of wild ducks, cuckoos, Dai Sheng birds, geese, crows, swallows and other migratory birds, arrange early, middle and late sowing in Tibet. This method is still widely used in rural pastoral areas.

In addition, the Tibetan calendar also includes the Five Elements, Tanabata, Eight Diagrams, Jiugong, Zodiac, Twenty-four Solar Terms, 60th Anniversary, Spring Cattle, Solar Terms, Life, Feng Shui and so on. All these are based on the creation of Tibetan people, constantly using, absorbing and drawing lessons from astronomical knowledge in India, the mainland and other regions, and gradually developing into a new scale and system and forming its own characteristics.

One of the characteristics of Tibetan calendar is that Tibet has a vast territory, and the methods, conditions and legends of observing astronomy vary from place to place, thus producing colorful proverbs. Tibetan calendar tries to incorporate these proverbs into its own calendar, enriching the content of Tibetan calendar. For example, observing birds and trees is the door method, observing stars and snow is the Qiangtang method, observing the movement of the sun and the moon is the benzene image method, and observing livestock in mountains, rivers and lakes is the Gangzhuo method.

In the division of solar terms and seasons, the Tibetan calendar does not adopt a simple method of dividing the years equally, but calculates according to the fixed point of the "sun" (that is, the position of the sun), and then organically combines the data with the changes of various birds and animals in Tibetan areas to determine the solar terms and divide the seasons. Therefore, although the Tibetan calendar has a tradition of being divided into four seasons, it also forms a unique method of dividing the six seasons according to the unpredictable climate of the plateau, that is, spring, late spring, summer, autumn, winter and late winter. This division method accords with the climatic characteristics of most areas of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. On the whole, winter is the longest, followed by spring, autumn and summer. In some high mountain areas, there is even no summer, and spring and autumn are connected. Similarly, the 24 solar terms originated from the Han Chinese lunar calendar are only applicable to the four solar terms reflecting seasonal changes in the Tibetan calendar, namely, vernal equinox, autumnal equinox, winter solstice and summer solstice, while other solar terms representing seasonal changes, precipitation and the degree of warmth and coldness in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River have no practical effect in Tibet.

The calculation method of Tibetan calendar is also very unique. The calculation time has seven units: breathing (breathing hectares), six breaths are one minute (missing points), 60 minutes (missing points), and 60 minutes is a day. It determines that every lunar month is 29.53058 solar days, but it also stipulates that every lunar month is 30 full cloudy days. In order to correspond to the daily sequence between the solar day and lunar day, "leap day and difference day" appeared, and the size of the month was calculated according to the same day and difference day. The month in which there is no leap day on a poor day or there are more poor days than leap days is a small month, with 29 days per month; The month in which the leap day difference is offset or there is no leap day and no difference day is a big month, with 30 days per month. There are three kinds of calendars: year, month and day, each with the name of sun, lunar and palace.

The proportional relationship is: 1 solar year = 12 solar month =360 solar days.

1 lunar year = 12 lunar month =360 lunar day.

1 palace year = 12 palace month =360 palace days.

65 Palace Day =67 lunar day

64 lunar day =63 solar days.

There are not only seven obsidians in the Tibetan calendar, but also two imaginary celestial bodies, namely, Luomuhou and Huoshaoxing (Luomuhouwei). Like other celestial bodies, the apparent astrology in the time-ring calendar has its own cycle, but it is a "hidden obsidian" with only a few images. Its movement cycle is 30 lunar months, with a total of 6792.04 solar days, which is quite accurate (today it is 6793.460 days). Luo Muhou's position is expressed by the Yellow Sutra, and the circumference is minus twenty-seven nights. The result is called "Luo Mu Hou Tou" in the calendar and "Luo Mu Hou Wei" on the reverse side, which is equivalent to Huang Baisheng and descending node in astronomy. The long-tailed comet in Tibetan calendar is the capital of Jiuyao.

In addition, the Tibetan calendar also has a set of systematic methods for calculating solar and lunar eclipses, which can judge the value of the food limit, the time when the eclipse occurs, the food delay time, the food intake direction and the food score. These are quite advanced methods in ancient astronomy.

Various solar terms and phenological phenomena in the Tibetan calendar not only reflect the cold and warm climate changes and various natural phenomena throughout the year, but also predict the weather changes in a longer period of time. This is another major feature of the Tibetan calendar. 1996 February

1February 9, 997 leap in March

1February 27, 998

1999 February

February 5, 2000 leap February

200123 February

12 leap in June

March 3(rd), 2003

February 20(th), 2004

February 9, 2005 leap in April

February 28th, 2006

February 2007

February 7, 2008 leap February

February 25(th), 2009

20 10 February 14 leap June

2011March 5

February 22, 2065 438+02

20 13 February 10 leap in may

2065438+March 2, 2004

Every 19 years thereafter.