A year of 13 moons

Cultural guardians champion Basotho Calendar

LINEO MALATALIANA

MASERU – In a significant move to preserve national heritage, the Selemo Sa Basotho Arts and Cultural Agency (SSB), in collaboration with the Lesotho Tourism Development Corporation (LTDC), has convened a pivotal panel discussion on the formal recognition and use of the traditional Basotho New Year.
The event brought together esteemed culture custodians, moon watchers, and experts, including Mosalla Makolometsa, Mathethebale Pitso, Tšepang Shakhane, Pita Thobela, and retired army chief Major General Matela Matobakele. Their mission was to define the start of the new year and articulate the cultural reasoning behind its determination.

Unlike the globally used Gregorian calendar, the Basotho calendar is a lunisolar system with 13 months of 29 days each, deeply intertwined with natural cycles and the phases of the moon.

The Gregorian system does not align with the Basotho year in terms of days, dates, or months.

Opening the dialogue, Vice Chairperson of the Initiation Association, Mosalla Makolometsa, poetically likened the Basotho year to a girl’s coming of age.

“The Basotho year is representative of the changes the female form goes through in a year,” she stated.

She explained that the new year is heralded by the earth’s renewal at the dawn of spring.

“The soil becomes fertile, agricultural activities liven up, and the hoe – a powerful symbol in Basotho culture – is brought out to grace the soil. Customs are performed both at its first use and when it is put to rest at the year’s end.”

Mathethebale Pitso elaborated on the Basotho method of timekeeping, which is based on environmental observation rather than fixed dates.

“In Sesotho, the Gregorian calendar does not align with Basotho months,” Pitso said.

Culturally, Basotho determined seasons by the sun’s pattern: long nights and short days signified winter, while the bloom of the new year was marked by equal day and night. He noted that due to Lesotho’s geography, Basotho observe the winter solstice but not the summer solstice.

Adding a modern scholarly contribution, Tšepang Shakhane presented his invention, the Almanaka ea Basotho le Lesotho (Almanac of the Basotho and Lesotho). This calendar is the product of extensive research into traditional timekeeping.

“Basotho did not have clocks and days of the week to determine time; however, they watched the moon vigilantly,” Shakhane said. His almanac formalizes the four seasons and the 13-month year, providing a tangible tool for cultural revival.

Following robust deliberations that incorporated these insights, the panel reached a definitive conclusion.

Retired army chief Major General Matela Matobakele announced that the bloom of the Basotho New Year for2025/2026 was officially recognised on July 26.

This panel marks a crucial step towards the formal recognition and revitalisation of a calendar system that is intrinsically linked to the Basotho people’s identity, agriculture, and cultural practices.