Sonia M. Rompoti, MSc, Bsc

In the past, gauging time determined if you would survive through the winter or not. For example, if you planted a crop at the incorrect time of year, you wouldn’t have enough food to eat. So as timekeeping was a matter of life and death, humans looked to a dependable source: the moon.

And people created a calendar based on moon phases. Even though the public at large may not use it anymore, it has been an important tool in everyday life for centuries. Its repercussions are still felt today, especially in spirituality fields.

An overview of a lunar calendar

A moon calendar follows the monthly cycles of the moon’s phases. It is one of the world’s oldest calendars, producing lunar months, often known as synodic months. A lunar month is the period between two consecutive syzygies, such as new and full moons.

Even though solar calendars have had an impact on the Gregorian Calendar, lunar calendars were also critical; as they aided in determining where each month alternates between 29 and 30 days. Keep in mind that the term month comes from the word moon.

Further, ancient civilizations employed moon phases to assist them determine the four seasons. As each season includes three full moons, they knew when to accurately organize important tasks like harvesting and hunting. The moon calendar is now used mostly for rituals rather than formal business.