The first day of the year in Baduy calendar coincides with the beginning of their annual cycle of farming activities and traditional ceremonies. The beginning of the year in the Baduy tribe is called nanggalkeun kidang. It’s the beginning of the appearance of Bentang Kidang in march and Bentang Kartika two weeks earlier. People generally recognize these two stars as the Orion Belt and Pleiades stars. But there has not been a further research that discusses this problem scientifically.
This is a qualitative research with a literature research (library research). To obtain the data needed in this study, this research used the documentation and interview method. This study used an analytical descriptive data. While, the researcher also used the astronomical approach in answering the formulation of this research problem (calculated astronomically to find out the stars rising times with Jean Meeuss celestial calculation in Astronomical Algorithm).
This research results are two findings. First, The Baduy’s calendar year begins with the observation of Bentang Kidang, also known as the Orion’s Belt, on the eastern horizon (during the karo/katiga month, or March in the Gregorian calendar) and the Bentang Kartika, also known as the Pleiades Star (two weeks earlier). It’s used because the Baduy’s society believed that these two stars is the sign of they beginning of year in their calender since long ago. Second, In astronomical rising time calculation, the appearance of the Bentang Kidang or Orion’s Belt in March and Bentang Kartika or Pleiades Star in 2 weeks before (between mid-February to mid-March) are the appearance on the horizon towards the time of setting star in the west in the night after sunset. “The rising” in this case does not mean rising, but it's closer to “visible” by the observer eye.