An abacus calendar is a kind of calendar that makes use of an abacus to characterize the times, months, and years. Abacus calendars have been first developed in China through the Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), and so they have been used for hundreds of years to maintain observe of time. In contrast to trendy calendars, that are primarily based on the photo voltaic 12 months, abacus calendars are primarily based on the lunisolar 12 months, 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 differ between 29 and 30 days.
Abacus calendars are nonetheless used right this moment in some components of the world, significantly in East Asia. They’re usually used for non secular functions, equivalent to figuring out the dates of festivals and holidays, and so they may also be used for sensible functions, equivalent to maintaining observe of appointments and occasions. Abacus calendars are a helpful software for anybody who’s fascinated about studying extra about Chinese language tradition and historical past, and so they may also be a enjoyable and academic technique to be taught in regards to the fundamentals of astronomy.
