An abacus calendar is a sort of calendar that makes use of an abacus to symbolize the times, months, and years. Abacus calendars have been first developed in China in the course of the Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), they usually have been used for hundreds of years to maintain monitor of time. In contrast to fashionable calendars, that are primarily based on the photo voltaic yr, abacus calendars are primarily based on the lunisolar yr, which is the time it takes for the moon to orbit the Earth 12 occasions. Due to this fact, the size of every month in an abacus calendar can fluctuate between 29 and 30 days.
Abacus calendars are nonetheless used at this time in some components of the world, notably in East Asia. They’re usually used for spiritual functions, reminiscent of figuring out the dates of festivals and holidays, they usually can be used for sensible functions, reminiscent of retaining monitor of appointments and occasions. Abacus calendars are a invaluable device for anybody who’s desirous about studying extra about Chinese language tradition and historical past, they usually can be a enjoyable and academic strategy to study in regards to the fundamentals of astronomy.
