lunar calendar
Noun: A lunar calendar is a calendar system whose dates are calculated based on the phases and cycles of the Moon. Each month in a purely lunar calendar begins with a new moon and lasts for one complete lunar cycle (approximately 29.5 days). A lunar year is therefore about 354 days long, which is roughly 11 days shorter than a solar year.
The term lunar calendar is used to describe a specific type of timekeeping system. It is often contrasted with solar or lunisolar calendars. - The Islamic calendar is a well-known example of a lunar calendar. - Many traditional festivals are determined by a lunar calendar.
- In academic contexts, the lunar calendar is studied for its historical, cultural, and astronomical significance.
- Lunisolar calendar (noun): A calendar that combines lunar and solar cycles, adding intercalary months to keep in sync with the seasons (e.g., the Hebrew calendar).
- Lunar month (noun): The period of time from one new moon to the next, approximately 29.5 days.
- Solar calendar (noun): A calendar based on the Earth's revolution around the Sun (e.g., the Gregorian calendar).
- Moon calendar (less common, but descriptive)
- There is no direct single-word synonym; the phrase itself is the technical term.
- Based on the moon: A descriptive phrase for something scheduled by lunar phases.
- The festival is based on the moon, so its date changes every year.
There are no common idioms that feature the exact phrase lunar calendar. However, the concept is embedded in phrases like: - Once in a blue moon: Meaning very rarely. This idiom references an extra full moon within a calendar period, indirectly relating to lunar cycles.
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a calendar based on lunar cycles
