Why 2024, will be the Year of Fertility and Abundance?

In all world cultures, the rotation of the sun and moon played an important role in the development of the calendar. Those who developed a sun-based calendar took the Earth's complete rotation around the sun as a basis (365 days and 6 hours). While the calendars created in this way were called "Solar Calendar", those who developed a calendar based on the Moon based it on the moon's rotation around the earth 12 times (12 x 29.5-354 days). Calendars created in this way were called "Lunar Calendar". Solar Calendar, Egyptians and the Lunar Calendar was invented by the Sumerians.

It is known that the ancient Turks created a unique culture based on horses and iron in the steppe geography. The first domestication of the horse and the construction of a characteristic equestrian culture as a unique culture integrated with steppe life are often cited as the basis of the emergence of Turkishness as a new cultural identity. The Turks, who revealed the steppe culture, have developed a unique system of thought. As a reflection of this, according to historians, the calculation of time in ancient Turks was an element that naturally developed in connection with the way of life. Therefore, the calendar and time calculation were designed to bear the traces of the Steppe culture.

The Turkish Calendar is based on a calculation based on day, month and year, which is considered to be a convenience in the organization of life and work, in line with the flow of steppe life, and is still valid today. In this respect, the "Twelve Animal Turkish Calendar", which has a different structure from the Solar and Lunar calendars, spread throughout Asia over time as the common year calculation system of Asian societies. There are also those who believe that this calendar, which was used by the Chinese until recent years, was developed by the Chinese. According to Edouard Chavannes's research titled Le Cycle turc des Douze Animaux (The Turkish Calendar with Twelve Animals), the "Twelve Animal Calendar" used in Asia was a calendar system belonging to the Turks and the Chinese took this calendar from the Turks. That's why Chavannes named his research Turkish Calendar with Twelve Animals.

The old Turkish calendar was based on a '12-year' cycle, each of which was named after an animal. It is believed that the twelve-animal Turkish calendar was invented in the Ili valley by Oğuz Khan, a legendary Turkish Khan.

The names of the years in the 12-year system were listed as follows:

Year 1: Rat (rat, mouse)

Year 2: Ud (cattle, ox)

Year 3: Leopard

Year 4: Tabishkan (rabbit)

Year 5: lu (dragon)

Year 6: Snake

Year 7: Yunt (horse)

Year 8: sheep (sheep)

Year 9: Reap (monkey)

Year 10: Takagu (chicken)

Year 11: mutt (dog)

Year 12: Tonguz (pig)

In the Twelve Animal Calendar, which is actually based on the solar calendar, a year: 365 days. It is 5 hours, 48 minutes, 45 seconds. The twelve-year period started with the name of the first animal, and when the year named after the twelfth animal ended, it was back to the year of the first animal. On the other hand, large time periods of 60 years, which is 5 times of 12 years, were also seen as important in this calendar.

The months are first (first) month, second, third month, etc. It was called. Again, since the days were divided into 12, each part (two-hour period) was called an age. According to the concept of time we use today, era was used as the equivalent of two hours. The start of the day was midnight.

Since the year was calculated as 365 days and 5-odd hours, it had an accuracy parallel to today's system. The beginning of the new year, New Year's Eve, was calculated as December 22 (the first day when the day begins to lengthen in winter and the day when the longest night ends).

It is said that this 12-animal Turkish calendar, which is said to be based on the hunting year, was converted to the solar year during the time of the Gokturks. This calendar, which dates back to ancient times, is known as a calendar shared with the Chinese. However, there are many people who claim that this calendar was first used by the Turks, as it contradicts the Chinese tradition due to its close relationship with animals. This calendar, with its cycles of 60 years, 5 times 12 years, was used by the Gokturks, Uyghurs, Western Turks (Bulgarians) and previously by the Huns, the pioneers of Turkishness. It is understood that this calendar, the method of calculating time, is a very widespread system in terms of time and geography, and that it continued to be used for a long time by Turks and other tribes living side by side with Turks. Göktürk inscriptions, Uyghur books and legal documents, some of the Danube Bulgarian inscriptions and the list of Bulgarian khans, and even some events in the Manas epic are dated with this calendar.

This ancient Turkish calendar was used in Turkestan, especially among the Kyrgyz, until recent times.

In the work titled Marifet-name, written in the 18th century (1757) in the Ottoman field, the "Turkish Calendar with Twelve Animals" is mentioned, the author writes a poem about the "Turkish Calendar with Twelve Animals" in this work, and this calendar is depicted on the Meriç Bridge built in the 19th century. The discovery of animal figures among the Turks of Turkey dates back to recent times. This must be evidence that the calendar in question is also alive.

In the Ottomans, II. Opposite dragon figures were used in the discharge ports of the Meriç Bridge, whose foundations were laid in 1833 on the Meriç river (Edirne/Karaağaç road) during the reign of Mahmud II and completed during the reign of Sultan Abdülmecit (1847). On the arch of the first discharge chamber towards Edirne, there are dragon figures in relief wrapped around the arch, a relief of a six-pointed star within the moon on the left side, and a twelve-animal calendar. It was believed that the dragon here brought and would bring abundance to humanity as a talisman and water element that protects from evil. According to the Twelve Animal Turkish Calendar, there is a lot of rain in the year of the dragon, and abundance and abundance are seen that year.

We are entering the year of the Dragon. May it bring abundance and abundance. As the poet said; Let the sky be blue, the branches green, the field yellow; No trouble in the head, no longing in the heart; No matter whether rich or poor, or you or me; Make sure everyone has a safe place to stay at home on winter days; I want our country to be a decent country.

Happy new year.

References

Osman TURAN, History of the Turkish World Domination Idea, Nakışlar Publishing House, Istanbul, 1978.

İbrahim Kafesoğlu, Turkish National Culture, Boğaziçi Publications, 7th Edition, Istanbul, 1989.

Laszlo Rasonyi, Turkishness in History, Turkish Culture Research Institute Publications, Ankara, 1971