Synopsis: The first calendar in Hawai‘i was published in 1835 with a Hawaiianization of the Georgian Calendar system, which is a solar calendar. In 1864, in “Christian Calendar,” the night counting system (Pō‘akahi, Pō‘alua, etc.) that we see today was added. The Hawaiian ancient calendar used lunar phases. Hawaiian and Christian calendars have some similarities. Where did the night counting system in the Christian calendar come from?

Aloha “Hapenuia” kākou e nā hoa e huli nei i kahi ‘alemanaka hou. Ke waiho aku nei kā ‘oukou wahi mea kākau i kekahi mana‘o no ka ‘alemanaka ma Hawai‘i. E kōkua paha ia i ko kākou huli ‘ana i ‘alemanaka hou.

I ka makahiki 1835, pa‘i ‘ia ka ‘alemanaka mua loa ma Hawai‘i nei. Ma ia ‘alemanaka, penei i kapa ‘ia ai nā lā o ka pule: Sabati/Sunede, Monede, Tusede, Wenede, Tarede, Feraide, a me Satude. He mau hua ‘ōlelo kēia i ho‘ohawai‘i ‘ia mai nā hua ‘ōlelo mai a ka po‘e kahiko o Beritania. He ‘ehiku lā o ka pule. Ua kapa ‘ia nō ho‘i he ‘ehiku lā ma ka inoa ‘o Hebedoma ma ia wā, a ‘o ia nō ho‘i ‘o “pule” i kēia au. ‘O Hebedoma, he hua ‘ōlelo ia i ho‘ohawai‘i ‘ia mai ka ‘ōlelo Helene, ‘o ia ho‘i ‘o “hebdomad,” nāna e kuhi i nā lā he ‘ehiku. Ho‘ohana ‘ia ua hua ‘ōlelo nei ma ka Puke Paipala Hawai‘i.

I ka makahiki 1864, ho‘opuka ‘ia nā inoa ‘o Poakahi, Poalua, Poakolu, Poaha, Poalima, Poaono, a ‘o Sabati ma ka “Alemanaka Kristiano” ma ka Nupepa Kuokoa. E nā hoa heluhelu ē, ‘o ia mau pō ke ho‘ohui ‘ia me ka Sabati, he “Hebedoma” kona kapa ‘ia ‘ana. Ua kapa ‘ia ia mau inoa ma kekahi mo‘olelo nūpepa kahiko penei, “Helu La o Ka Hebedoma.” Helu ‘ia na‘e nā pō ma kēia mau inoa. Huikau! A ma muli o ka ho‘ohana ‘ia o Hebedoma, ua haku ‘ia anei kēia mau inoa me ka hahai ‘ana i ka mana‘o o ka ‘ōlelo Helene?

Ma ke kenekulia iwakālua, helu pinepine ‘ia nā “pō” ma ka ‘alemanaka a hō‘ike pū ‘ia ka ‘alemanaka Hawai‘i ma nā nūpepa. Ua kapa ‘ia ka ‘alemanaka Hawai‘i ma nā nūpepa penei, “Na Po Ma Ka Helu Hawaii,” a i ‘ole “Helu Po Mahina.” Helu ‘ia nā pō ma ka ‘alemanaka Hawai‘i kekahi. He kanakolu mau inoa e hō‘ike ana i kēlā me kēia pō o ka mahina ho‘okahi, e la‘a ‘o Hilo, ‘o Hoaka, ‘o Kūkahi, ia inoa aku, ia inoa aku. A laila, ho‘oka‘awale ‘ia kēia mau inoa pō mahina ma loko o ‘ekolu mau ‘ano o ka mahina, ‘o ia nō ho‘i ‘o Ho‘onui, ‘o Poepoe, a ‘o Emi. Kapa ‘ia kēia ‘ano ho‘oka‘awale ‘ana ma ka inoa ‘o Anahulu. ‘Ano like kēia inoa ‘o Anahulu me ka inoa ‘o Hebedoma o ka ‘alemanaka Kalikiano. Aia na‘e he ‘umi “pō” ma ho‘okahi Anahulu, a he ‘eono wale nō “lā” ma ho‘okahi Hebedoma.

E nā hoa heluhelu ē, i ‘ike ‘oukou, ‘o ka ‘alemanaka e laha loa nei ma ka ‘āina nei o kēia au, ‘o ia ka ‘alemanaka i ho‘okumu ‘ia me ka mana‘o Kalikiano. ‘O ka mea ‘āpiki, he pilina ma waena o ka ‘alemanaka Kalikiano a me ka ‘alemanaka Hawai‘i. Ua helu ‘ia nā pō ma ka ‘alemanaka Kalikiano. Pēlā pū ho‘i me ka ‘alemanaka Hawai‘i. He kanakolu pō no ho‘okahi mahina ma ka ‘alemanaka Hawai‘i. Like ka heluna o ka pō ma ka ‘alemanaka Hawai‘i me ka heluna ma ka ‘alemanaka Kalikiano Hawai‘i. Mai hea mai ka mana‘o o ka helu ‘ia ‘ana o nā pō ma ia ‘alemanaka Kalikiano? Inā he mana‘o Helene ia, like anei ka loina a me ka mo‘olelo kahiko ma waena o ko Helene a me ko Hawai‘i? No ke aha lā i haku ‘ia ai nā inoa hou no nā pō? A eia hou mai kekahi nīnau. No ke aha i kapa ‘ia ai kekahi pō i ka “lā,” ‘o ia ho‘i ka Lāpule? He aha kou mana‘o?