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New page: A lunar calendar is a system of measuring time that takes account of the phases of the moon, and is unlike our own calendar which is purely solar. A lunar month, the length of time betwee...
A lunar calendar is a system of measuring time that takes account of the phases of the moon, and is unlike our own calendar which is purely solar.
A lunar month, the length of time between new moon and new moon, is about 29.5 days. 12 lunar months make 354 days, some 11 days short of a solar year. Without correction, a purely lunar calendar will slip behind the seasons very rapidly, and cycle through all of them in 30 years. This is how the current [[Muslim]] calendar operates. Other cultures, however, have sought to correct this problem by adding an extra month every few years, eventually refined to 7 extra (intercalary) months every 19 years, which is very close to a solar reckoning. This is how many ancient calendars worked, and the Jewish calendar still does so today. The Christians inherited from the Jews a similar system for calculating the date of [[Easter]].
A lunar month, the length of time between new moon and new moon, is about 29.5 days. 12 lunar months make 354 days, some 11 days short of a solar year. Without correction, a purely lunar calendar will slip behind the seasons very rapidly, and cycle through all of them in 30 years. This is how the current [[Muslim]] calendar operates. Other cultures, however, have sought to correct this problem by adding an extra month every few years, eventually refined to 7 extra (intercalary) months every 19 years, which is very close to a solar reckoning. This is how many ancient calendars worked, and the Jewish calendar still does so today. The Christians inherited from the Jews a similar system for calculating the date of [[Easter]].