A SYMBOL OF FERTILITY AND HAPPINESS

The Porhalaan is a traditional lunisolar calendar of the Batak people in North Sumatra, consisting of 12 months divided into 30 days, with an additional month for protection, based on the Batak magic book.

Traditionally, Porhalaan calendars were used by farmers in the hope of good harvests and were decorated with lizards symbolising the earth deity associated with the fertility of the fields.

The Batak people did not use the Porhalaan to tell time, but for divination. Only the chief ritualist, called the Datu, could interpret it to determine the most auspicious day for a particular ritual. The Datu would often select a day believed to promise happiness two months later. Each New Year in the calendar begins with the New Moon in May, when the constellation Orion disappears in the west and the constellation Scorpius rises in the east.

Each calendar is individually handmade, with variations in finish, surface texture and organic imperfections that give every piece its own distinctive character.

The calendar is presented on a handmade blackened metal stand and comes with its story printed and enclosed in an envelope. Each stand has its own handcrafted character; slight irregularities are part of its authenticity, and the natural patina may change over time.

Dimensions range between ca 30 x 40 x 6cm - 28 x 54 x 6cm with the stand.

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