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Calendars, Cults and Cultures

December 19, 2013

For millennia, people have been observing and interpreting the starry skies. Even the earliest civilizations developed their own calendar systems accordance with the course of the stars.

https://p.dw.com/p/1AHaq

Greeks and Babylonians, Egyptians and Romans, Jews and Muslims and many other cultures and religions have or have had own calendars. People have always wanted to find a way of measuring the time. The regular movement of heavenly bodies formed the first framework for it. “Measurement means knowledge." This guiding principle inspired the spirit of enquiry amongst all peoples. The architects of the ancient world even took the paths of the sun and moon into account when planning their buildings.

12.12.2013 DW Im Focus Kulte 08
The mechanical calendar computer Antikythera is a spectacular discovery.

The documentary takes us to mystical, little-known places ranging from the huge stone rows of Carnac in Brittany to the sacred lunar wells in Sardinia and the mysterious mechanical computer calendar of Antikythera. The film shows ancient traditions such as the four mountains run in the Austrian province of Carinthia or a Tyrolean woman’s lunar calendar that has been a best seller for decades. And we look at different New Year customs - from the Tibetans’ several days of celebrationto the Muslims’ period of quiet contemplation.

12.12.2013 DW Im Focus Kulte 04
The stone rows in Carnac, Brittany.



Broadcasting Hours:

DW

TUE 31.12.2013 – 22:15 UTC
WED 01.01.2014 – 06:15 UTC
WED 01.01.2014 – 13:15 UTC
WED 01.01.2014 – 17:15 UTC
THU 02.01.2014 – 04:15 UTC
THU 02.01.2014 – 10:15 UTC

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San Francisco UTC -8 | Edmonton UTC -7 | New York UTC -5

DW (Europe)

WED 01.01.2014 – 04:15 UTC
WED 01.01.2014 – 17:15 UTC
THU 02.01.2014 – 06:15 UTC
THU 02.01.2014 – 13:15 UTC

London UTC +0 | Berlin UTC +1 | Moscow UTC +4

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WED 01.01.2014 – 13:15 UTC
THU 02.01.2014 – 04:15 UTC
THU 02.01.2014 – 11:15 UTC

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DW (Amerika)

WED 01.01.2014 – 06:15 UTC

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