Welcome: this site is dedicated to Lunisolar daykeeping based on historical and reconstructed practices. To start out with here is a little bit about what Lunisolar calendars are:

The lunisolar system tracks:

Lunar cycles (moon phases → months), and the Solar cycle (sun’s annual path → seasons) simultaneously. As apposed to most of our modern systems, which is only based on the solar cycle.

A lunisolar calendar reconciles the mismatch between:

12 lunar months (of ~28days) ≈ 354 days

Solar year ≈ 365.24 days

That ~11-day gap must be corrected, usually with an intercalary (leap) month.

That means each year has 12 lunar cycles in it plus 11 days. So every 2 or 3 years a 13th lunar cycle is added to the year.

Every 19 years this 365 day “solar year” and “355 day lunar year” realign with each other. This 19 year cycle is called the Metonic cycle.

So again, each year, you measure 12 lunar months, which is about 354 days. That’s about 11 days short of a solar year. So, over time, the lunar calendar drifts. To realign, you insert an extra “leap” month in 7 of those 19 years. By the end of the 19-year cycle, the lunar and solar years come back into alignment. The days thus stay anchored to both the moon’s phases and the seasons, creating a beautiful balance over the long term.

Let’s look at one of our Lunisolar Calendars to learn more about how they specifically work. And start to look at some of the specific cultural elements that make these calendar unique.

Galdercraft Anglo-Saxon Runic Calendar

Galderskill Norse Younger Futhark Calendar

Cnóbha Celtic Ogham Calendar