About the Calendar
A short, plain-language guide to the terms used on this site -- what the Manipuri calendar is, what tithi and nakshatra mean, and a couple of the festivals you'll see marked on the calendar grid.
What is the Manipuri calendar?
It's a lunar calendar used by the Meitei people of Manipur, with 12 months and 7-day weeks, similar in structure to the Gregorian calendar but starting from a different point. Each month ends at the new moon. Tradition traces the calendar's era back to a king named Maliyafam Palcha, in the realm of ancient Kangleipak (present-day Manipur).
What is a tithi?
A tithi is a lunar day. It's measured by how far the Moon has moved away from the Sun in the sky, not by the clock -- so each tithi covers a 12-degree gap between the two, and it can last anywhere from about 19 to 26 hours. There are 30 tithis in one lunar month, and they're used to time festivals, fasting days, and other observances.
What is a nakshatra?
A nakshatra is the constellation, or "lunar mansion," the Moon is passing through on a given day. The sky is divided into 27 of these, each spanning 13°20', and the Moon moves through roughly one per day.
What are yoga and karana?
Yoga and karana are the two other timing units, alongside tithi and nakshatra, that make up the five limbs ("pancha-anga") of a Panchang. A yoga is based on the combined position of the Sun and Moon; a karana is exactly half of a tithi, so there are two karanas in every tithi.
What is Sajibu Cheiraoba?
Sajibu Cheiraoba is the Meitei lunar new year, celebrated on the first day of the month of Sajibu (usually March). Families clean their homes, cook an odd number of dishes, offer prayers to the deity Lainingthou Sanamahi, and climb a nearby hillock for good luck in the year ahead.
What is Yaoshang?
Yaoshang is Manipur's best-known festival -- five days of celebration starting on the full moon night of the month of Lamta (around February-March). It mixes a straw-hut burning on the first night, devotional singing, water-splashing, sports like mukna wrestling, and Thabal Chongba moonlight dancing.
What do "Tatnaba" and "Thasi Maikei" mean on each day's card?
Tatnaba and Thasi Maikei mark periods that come with their own do's and don'ts -- certain activities are considered a good omen to take up during them, and others are considered a bad omen and best avoided. Both fields are copied as-is from the source almanac we pull data from, and we don't yet have a verified, documented list of exactly which activities fall on which side for each one, so we're not listing specifics until we do.
Sources