Peruso Explains the Inca Calendar
Sun, moon, corn, and lots of knots: Peruso explains the Inca calendar to children in his own way.
Hola, little explorers!
Today I'm going to explain the Inca calendar to you. It's quite tricky, but hey, I'm Peruso, master of complicated things and master of hiding from Mom when I mess up.
The Calendar Without Paper
So, listen up! The Inca calendar wasn't some old piece of paper with pictures on it. We didn't even know what paper was. No, we had the Quipu! That's a knot-thing where smart people measured time.
And how? Well, I sometimes ask myself that too. But here's the magic: 365 days a year. Yeah, you might know that, right? But the Incas were cooler! They divided the year into 12 months. Sounds normal, right? But our months were named after the seasons and festivals.
Want a small example?
Imagine this: In the month "Apu Inti Raymi," the Sun God Festival month, we count 30 days. I count the knots: One, two, three... up to thirty. Oh, but woe betide you if you make a wrong knot, then the moon will come by at night and tie a knot in your hair.
Months, Stars, and Corn
Then there were months that had fewer days. And our priests watched the stars to know when it was time to plant corn. Yep, corn was important. More important than my favorite toy.
A small example calculation: If 12 months each had 30 days, we'd have 360 days. Hmm... What's missing? Exactly! 5 extra days that we had for very mysterious rituals. Spooky, right? I was never allowed to join in because I was too small. Pffft!
Sun, Moon, and Grain
So, remember: For us, everything revolved around the sun, moon, and grain. And anyone who didn't understand the system wouldn't get corn bread from Mom for a week. Bet that worked!
You can find more background on Inca topics at Inca Gods, Inti Raymi, and Inca Mythology.
Peruso explains Peru, the Inca, and everything adults sometimes take too seriously.
(c) by PeruMagazin