Primitive Time-reckoning: A study in the origins and first development of the art of counting time among the primitive and early culture peoplesNilsson, Martin P. (Martin Persson)
History
Primitive Time-reckoning: A study in the origins and first development of the art of counting time among the primitive and early culture peoples
Nilsson, Martin P. (Martin Persson)
Chronology
that an event occurred
in _la-tub_ or will take place in _ba-li-ling_; they therefore keep
these periods in mind just as a European thinks of some particular
month in which an event has happened[315]. The greatly varying length
of the periods is once more to be noted, and also the fact that a
vacant season is made into a period (see e. g. under (7)), it being
necessary to fill in the gaps so that the circle shall be continuous.
How such seasons and the year formed out of them may be developed
under the influence of the improved calendar into periods of
definite numbers of days is shewn by the Javanese peasant calendar
which is still used in Bali and Java. The year is an embolimic
year of 360 days and is divided into 12 periods of unequal length.
These are:--_koso_, 41 days; _karo_, 23; _katigo_, 24; _kapat_, 24
(25)[316]; _kalimo_, 26 (27); _kanam_, 41 (43); _kapitu_, 41 (43);
_kawolu_, 26 (in leapyear 27); _kasongo_, 25; _kasapuluh_, 25 (24);
_dasto_, 23; _sodo_, 41. The first ten of these names are the ordinal
numerals of the Javanese vernacular, the last two, according to
Wilken, are corruptions of Sanskrit words. In Bali the year begins
with the eleventh season (April), in Java with the winter solstice.
The different divisions correspond to the following occupations
and natural events:--1, the falling of the leaves, burning of dry
grass, and cutting of trees for the cultivation of mountain rice; 2,
beginning of vegetation; 3, blossoming of wild plants, planting of
yams and other secondary crops; 4, rutting season, high winds, the
rivers swell; 5, preparations for rice-planting; 6, ploughing and
rice-sowing; 7, rice is planted, the canals are repaired; 8, rice
grows and flowers; 9, the seeds form in the rice-plants; 10, rice
turning yellow; 11, the rice-crop is ripe, harvest begins; 12, cold
weather begins, the harvest is finished and the rice housed. This is
almost literally translated from the language of the natives[317].
Wilken gives to certain periods a different number of days (see note
1); according to him the year has 365 days, but every fourth year is
a leapyear with 366 days. The calendar was regulated in 1855 by Pakoe
Boewånå III, naturally according to the Gregorian calendar: hence
the variation from Crawfurd’s statements. This is the only instance
of an attempt to bring a natural calendar into agreement with the
demands of a modern one; it is however unpractical and inconvenient
on account of the varying length of the divisions. It is still used
in eastern Java and in the Tengge mountains[318].
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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