Months & Years
The 60-year cycle and how time is counted
The 60-Year Cycle (rab byung)
Tibetan years follow a 60-year cycle created by combining:
- 12 Animals: Mouse, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Bird, Dog, Pig
- 5 Elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Iron, Water
- 2 Genders: Male and Female
Each element spans two years (one male, one female), cycling through all animals before moving to the next element. This creates the distinctive names like "Fire-Male-Horse Year" or "Water-Female-Pig Year."
Counting Cycles
The first 60-year cycle (རབ་བྱུང་, rab byung) began in 1027 CE. The current cycle (the 17th) began in 1987.
Tibetan Months
Each year has 12 or 13 months, numbered 1-12. Month names derive from the lunar mansion where the full moon occurs:
| Month | Name | Approximate Western |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | mchu | Feb-Mar |
| 2 | dbo | Mar-Apr |
| 3 | nag pa | Apr-May |
| 4 | sa ga | May-Jun |
| 5 | snron | Jun-Jul |
| 6 | chu stod | Jul-Aug |
| 7 | gro bzhin | Aug-Sep |
| 8 | khrums | Sep-Oct |
| 9 | tha skar | Oct-Nov |
| 10 | smin drug | Nov-Dec |
| 11 | mgo | Dec-Jan |
| 12 | rgyal | Jan-Feb |
Intercalary Months
Because 12 lunar months are shorter than a solar year, an extra month is periodically inserted to keep the calendar aligned with seasons. This intercalary month (ཟླ་ལྷག, zla lhag) takes the same number as the preceding month.
For example, if an intercalary month follows the 4th month, there will be two "4th months" that year—the regular one and the intercalary one.