Page:Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje - The Achehnese - tr. Arthur Warren Swete O'Sullivan (1906).djvu/289

 For instance, the fact that the period known as keunòng 13 does not properly terminate till the 15$th$ of the month would not be held to justify a correction if there were an approximate conjunction of the moon and Scorpion on, say, the 14$th$. But if it were seen that the heavens themselves persistently belied the sequence of the keunòng dates by two days or even more, then two consecutive months would be counted as keunòng 9 or keunòng 7 as the case might be, and the sequence would thus be rectified. Thus the expression keunòng 23, as employed by the Achehnese, almost corresponds to our January, keunòng 21 to our February and so on. Each of these names suggests to them the recurrence of certain definite natural phenomena which are wont to exhibit themselves during the keunòng in question, of definite tasks of agriculture or navigation whose performance is limited to that time, and of certain feasts which are held therein.

We shall now give as a specimen the list of keunòngs for our year 1893 (the Mohammedan 1310–11) according to Achehnese nomenclature, adding in each case the European and Mohammedan month in which the keunòng falls. It should be carefully borne in mind that the correspondence of the European months with the keunòngs as here given holds good in other years as well, but that the Mohammedan months move one place lower down about every 3 years, the variation being corrected by applying the same keunòng to two successive months.

We shall also add notes illustrative of the ideas of the Achehnese in regard to the various keunòngs. One or two of these require closer explanation which we shall give presently when dealing with the subjects of agriculture and fishery. The Achehnese lore on the subject of he keunòngs of course holds good for all years alike.