The Bali Calendar is a unique calendar system that is used by the Hindu community in Bali and combines elements of the Gregorian calendar, the Bali Saka calendar, and the traditional Tika calendar. The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Christian calendar, is an internationally recognized calendar that follows the solar system. The Bali Saka calendar is a Saka calendar used in Bali that follows the lunar calendar, but is adjusted to match the solar calendar. The Tika calendar, on the other hand, is a non-astronomical traditional Bali calendar that is based on the Pawukon/Wuku and Wewaran system.
In daily life, the Balinese still use the Gregorian calendar, but the Tika calendar is important for determining the goodness or badness of a day or time for certain ceremonies and events. The Tika calendar does not consider astronomical positions, but its use by the Balinese community cannot be separated from the use of the Bali Saka calendar. Religious ceremonies, known as yadnya, are held based on the Pawukon and the Pananggal or Panglong in the Bali Saka calendar system.
The Bali calendar follows a few key rules. One day is twenty-four hours, with the day changing at sunrise. One week, called Saptawara, consists of seven days: Redite, Coma, Anggara, Buda, Wraspati, Sukra, and Saniscara, with the week changing on Redite, which is equivalent to Sunday in the Christian calendar. One month consists of five weeks, with the month changing after the dark month, called Pananggal Ping Pisan. The names of the weeks follow the Wuku (Pawukon) system. One year consists of twelve months, with the year changing on the New Year of Saka, which is on the first day of Waisakha or Pananggal Ping Pisan Sasih Kadasa. The names of the months are: Kasa, Karo, Katiga, Kapat, Kalima, Kanem, Kapitu, Kaulu, Kasanga, Kadasa, Jyesta, Sada.
In addition to the calculation of days based on Wewaran, the Saka calendar also has a calculation based on Wuku, which consists of 30 Wuku. One Wuku is a duration of 7 days, starting from Radite to Saniscara. Ingkel is a rule in the pawukon system that is a prohibition on performing certain work. The lifespan of one Ingkel is 7 days, from Radite to Saniscara. Sasih is the term for months in the Saka calendar, and one Saka year consists of 12 sasih.