Armenian calendar

Last updated

The Armenian calendar is the calendar traditionally used in Armenia, primarily during the medieval ages.

Contents

The Armenian calendar is based on an invariant year length of 365 days. Because a solar year is about 365.25 days and not 365 days, the correspondence between the Armenian calendar and both the solar year and the Julian calendar slowly drifted over time, shifting across a year of the Julian calendar once in 1,461 calendar years (see Sothic cycle). Thus, the Armenian year 1461 (Gregorian & Julian 2011) completed the first Sothic cycle, and the Armenian Calendar was one year off.

In A.D. 352, tables compiled by Andreas of Byzantium were introduced in Armenia to determine the religious holidays. When those tables exhausted on 11 July 552 (Julian Calendar), the Armenian calendar was introduced. [1]

Year 1 of the Armenian calendar began on 11 July 552 of the Julian calendar. [1] The calendar was adopted at the Second Council of Dvin. [2] Armenian year 1462 (the first year of the second cycle) began on 11 July 2012 of the Julian calendar (24 July 2012 of the Gregorian calendar).

An analytical expression of the Armenian date includes the ancient names of days of the week, Christian names of the days of the week, days of the month, Date/Month/Year number after 552 A.D., and the religious feasts. [3]

The Armenian calendar is divided into 12 months of 30 days each, plus an additional (epagomenal) five days, called aweleacʿ ("superfluous").

Years in the Armenian era are usually given in Armenian numerals (written in Armenian letters) preceded by the abbreviation ԹՎ, for t’vin (թուին, meaning "in the year"). For example, ԹՎՌՆԾԵ, which means "the year 1455." Another prefix is Թ.Հ., standing for t’vin Hayocʿ (թուին Հայոց "in the Armenian year"). [4]

Months

The Armenian month names show influence of the Zoroastrian calendar [5] and Kartvelian influence in two cases (2nd and 3rd months). There are different systems for transliterating the names; the forms below are transliterated according to the Hübschmann-Meillet-Benveniste system:

Months of the year
#Armenian H-M
Romaniz.
MeaningEtymology/Notes
1 նաւասարդ nawasardnew year Avestan *nava sarəδa
2 հոռի hoṙitwoFrom Georgian ორი (ori) meaning "two"
3 սահմի sahmithreeFrom Georgian სამი (sami) meaning "three"
4տրէtrē Zoroastrian Tïr
5քաղոցkʿałocʿmonth of cropsFrom Old Armenian քաղեմ (kʿałem) meaning "to gather" from PIE *kʷl̥-
6 արաց aracʿharvest-timeFrom old armenian արաց [6] (aracʿ), meaning harvest time, harvest of grape/fruit
7մեհեկանmehekanfestival of Mithra Iranian *mihrakān-; Zoroastrian Mitrō
8 արեգ aregsun monthFrom Old Armenian արեւ (arew) meaning "sun" from PIE *h₂rew-i- also meaning sun
9ահեկանahekanfire festivalIranian *āhrakān-; Zoroastrian Ātarō
10մարերիmarerimid-yearAvestan maiδyaīrya; Zoroastrian Dīn
11մարգացmargacʿ
12հրոտիցhroticʿ Pahlavi *fravartakān; Zoroastrian Spendarmat̰
13 աւելեաց [7] aweleacʿredundant, superfluous Epagomenal days

Days of the month

The Armenian calendar gives the days of the month names instead of numbering them – something also found in the Avestan calendars.

Zoroastrian influence is evident in five names: [5]

Days of the month
#NameArmenian TextMeaning/derivation
1AregԱրէկsun
2HrandՀրանդearth mixed with fire
3AramԱրամ
4MargarՄարգարprophet
5Ahrank’Ահրանկhalf-burned
6Mazdeł
7AstłikԱստղիկ Astłik
8MihrՄիհր Mihr (Armenian deity)
9Jopabertumultuous
10MurçՄուրցtriumph
11Erezhanhermit
12 Ani Անիname of a city
13Parkhar
14VanatՎանատhost, refectioner of a monastery
15AramazdԱրամազդ Aramazd
16ManiՄանիbeginning
17AsakԱսակbeginningless
18MasisՄասիս Mount Ararat
19AnahitԱնահիտ Anahit (Armenian goddess)
20AragatsԱրագած Mount Aragats
21GorgorName of a mountain
22Kordvik6th province in Armenia Major
23TsmakԾմակeast wind
24LusnakԼուսնակhalf-moon
25Tsrōndispersion
26NpatՆպատ Apam Napat
27 Vahagn ՎահագնZoroastrian Vahrām; Avestan Verethragna, name of the 20th day
28SimՍիմmountain
29VaragՎարագname of a mountain
30Gišeravarevening star

Holidays

Per Armenian law, 12 days are declared as non-working days. Non-working days include:

DateEnglish NameLocal NameRemarks
1-2 January New Year's Day ԱմանորTradition
6 January Christmas Day Սուրբ ԾնունդBased on the calendar used in Armenian Apostolic Church
28 January Army Day Բանակի օրIn celebration of Armenian Army formation on that day in 1992
8 March Women's Day Կանանց տոնWomen's Day
24 April Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day Եղեռնի զոհերի հիշատակի օրRemembrance of victims of Armenian genocide in 1915
1 May Labour Day Աշխատանքի օր International Workers' Day
9 May Victory and Peace Day Հաղթանակի եւ Խաղաղության տոն Shushi Liberation Day - on May 8, 1992 Armenian forces freed the city from Azerbaijani military forces, marking an important milestone in Artsakh liberation war for Armenians.

Victory Day : 9 May (World War II) was a holiday throughout the USSR and is still an official holiday in Armenia.

28 May Republic Day Հանրապետության օրEstablishment of the Democratic Republic of Armenia in 1918
5 July Constitution Day Սահմանադրության օր Adopted in 1995
21 September Independence Day Անկախության օրIndependence from the Soviet Union in 1991
31 December New Year's Eve Ամանոր

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calendar</span> System for organizing the days of year

A calendar is a system of organizing days. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months and years. A date is the designation of a single and specific day within such a system. A calendar is also a physical record of such a system. A calendar can also mean a list of planned events, such as a court calendar, or a partly or fully chronological list of documents, such as a calendar of wills.

The Julian calendar is a solar calendar of 365 days in every year with an additional leap day every fourth year. The Julian calendar is still used in parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church and in parts of Oriental Orthodoxy as well as by the Berbers, whereas the Gregorian calendar is used in most parts of the world.

A leap year is a calendar year that contains an additional day added to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical year or seasonal year. Because astronomical events and seasons do not repeat in a whole number of days, calendars that have a constant number of days in each year will unavoidably drift over time with respect to the event that the year is supposed to track, such as seasons. By inserting ("intercalating") an additional day or month into some years, the drift between a civilization's dating system and the physical properties of the Solar System can be corrected.

The Revised Julian calendar, or less formally the new calendar, is a calendar proposed in 1923 by the Serbian scientist Milutin Milanković as a more accurate alternative to both Julian and Gregorian calendars. At the time, the Julian calendar was still in use by all of the Eastern Orthodox Churches and affiliated nations, while the Catholic and Protestant nations were using the Gregorian calendar. Thus, Milanković's aim was to discontinue the divergence between the naming of dates in Eastern and Western churches and nations. It was intended to replace the Julian calendar in Eastern Orthodox Churches and nations. From 1 March 1600 through 28 February 2800, the Revised Julian calendar aligns its dates with the Gregorian calendar, which had been proclaimed in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Year</span> Time of one planets orbit around a star

A year is the orbital period of a planetary body, for example, the Earth, moving in its orbit around the Sun. Due to the Earth's axial tilt, the course of a year sees the passing of the seasons, marked by change in weather, the hours of daylight, and, consequently, vegetation and soil fertility. In temperate and subpolar regions around the planet, four seasons are generally recognized: spring, summer, autumn and winter. In tropical and subtropical regions, several geographical sectors do not present defined seasons; but in the seasonal tropics, the annual wet and dry seasons are recognized and tracked.

A solar calendar is a calendar whose dates indicate the season or almost equivalently the apparent position of the Sun relative to the stars. The Gregorian calendar, widely accepted as a standard in the world, is an example of a solar calendar. The main other types of calendar are lunar calendar and lunisolar calendar, whose months correspond to cycles of Moon phases. The months of the Gregorian calendar do not correspond to cycles of the Moon phase.

The Iranian calendars or Iranian chronology are a succession of calendars created and used for over two millennia in Iran, also known as Persia. One of the longest chronological records in human history, the Iranian calendar has been modified time and again during its history to suit administrative, climatic, and religious purposes. The most influential person in laying the frameworks for the calendar and its precision was the 11th century Persian polymath, hakim Omar Khayyam. The modern Iranian calendar is currently the official civil calendar in Iran and Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egyptian calendar</span> Calendar used in ancient Egypt before 22 BC

The ancient Egyptian calendar – a civil calendar – was a solar calendar with a 365-day year. The year consisted of three seasons of 120 days each, plus an intercalary month of five epagomenal days treated as outside of the year proper. Each season was divided into four months of 30 days. These twelve months were initially numbered within each season but came to also be known by the names of their principal festivals. Each month was divided into three 10-day periods known as decans or decades. It has been suggested that during the Nineteenth Dynasty and the Twentieth Dynasty the last two days of each decan were usually treated as a kind of weekend for the royal craftsmen, with royal artisans free from work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoroastrian calendar</span> Religious date system

Adherents of Zoroastrianism use three distinct versions of traditional calendars for liturgical purposes, all derived from medieval Iranian calendars and ultimately based on the Babylonian calendar as used in the Achaemenid empire. Qadimi ("ancient") is a traditional reckoning introduced in 1006. Shahanshahi ("imperial") is a calendar reconstructed from the 10th century text Denkard. Fasli is a term for a 1906 adaptation of the 11th century Jalali calendar following a proposal by Kharshedji Rustomji Cama made in the 1860s.

The epact, used to be described by medieval computists as the age of a phase of the Moon in days on 22 March; in the newer Gregorian calendar, however, the epact is reckoned as the age of the ecclesiastical moon on 1 January. Its principal use is in determining the date of Easter by computistical methods. It varies from year to year, because of the difference between the solar year of 365–366 days and the lunar year of 354–355 days.

The history of calendars covers practices with ancient roots as people created and used various methods to keep track of days and larger divisions of time. Calendars commonly serve both cultural and practical purposes and are often connected to astronomy and agriculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sothic cycle</span>

The Sothic cycle or Canicular period is a period of 1,461 Egyptian civil years of 365 days each or 1,460 Julian years averaging 365¼ days each. During a Sothic cycle, the 365-day year loses enough time that the start of its year once again coincides with the heliacal rising of the star Sirius on 19 July in the Julian calendar. It is an important aspect of Egyptology, particularly with regard to reconstructions of the Egyptian calendar and its history. Astronomical records of this displacement may have been responsible for the later establishment of the more accurate Julian and Alexandrian calendars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mehregan</span>

Mehregan or Jashn-e Mehr is a Zoroastrian and Iranian festival celebrated to honor the yazata Mithra, which is responsible for friendship, affection and love.

The Udi language, spoken by the Udi people, is a member of the Lezgic branch of the Northeast Caucasian language family. It is believed an earlier form of it was the main language of Caucasian Albania, which stretched from south Dagestan to current day Azerbaijan. The Old Udi language is also called the Caucasian Albanian language and possibly corresponds to the "Gargarian" language identified by medieval Armenian historians. Modern Udi is known simply as Udi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caucasian Albanian script</span> Alphabetic writing system used by the Caucasian Albanians

The Caucasian Albanian script was an alphabetic writing system used by the Caucasian Albanians, one of the ancient Northeast Caucasian peoples whose territory comprised parts of the present-day Republic of Azerbaijan and Dagestan.

The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull Inter gravissimas issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years differently so as to make the average calendar year 365.2425 days long, more closely approximating the 365.2422-day 'tropical' or 'solar' year that is determined by the Earth's revolution around the Sun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caucasian Albanian language</span> Extinct Northeast Caucasian language

Caucasian Albanian is an extinct member of the Northeast Caucasian languages. It was spoken in Caucasian Albania, which stretched from current day south Dagestan to Azerbaijan. Linguists believe it is an early linguistic predecessor to the endangered North Caucasian Udi language. The distinct Caucasian Albanian alphabet used 52 letters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar Hijri calendar</span> Official calendar of Iran

The Solar Hijri calendar is a solar calendar and one of the various Iranian calendars. It begins on the March equinox as determined by the astronomical calculation for the Iran Standard Time meridian and has years of 365 or 366 days. It is the modern principal calendar in Iran and is sometimes also called the Shamsi calendar and Khorshidi calendar. It is abbreviated as SH, HS or, by analogy with AH, AHSh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adoption of the Gregorian calendar</span> Transition to the "New Style" dating system

The adoption of the Gregorian Calendar was an event in the early modern history of most cultures and societies, marking a change from their traditional dating system to the modern dating system – the Gregorian calendar – that is widely used around the world today. Some states adopted the new calendar from 1582, some did not do so before the early twentieth century, and others did so at various dates between. A number of jurisdictions continue to use a different civil calendar. For many the new style calendar is only used for civil purposes and the old style calendar remains used in religious contexts. Today, the Gregorian calendar is the world's most widely used civil calendar. During – and for some time after – the change between systems, it has been common to use the terms "Old Style" and "New Style" when giving dates, to indicate which calendar was used to reckon them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jost Gippert</span>

Jost Gippert is a German linguist, Caucasiologist, author, and professor for Comparative Linguistics at the Institute of Empirical Linguistics at the Goethe University of Frankfurt.

References

  1. 1 2 Tumanian, B. (1973). History of Chronology.
  2. Book of Canon Law pdf, page 26
  3. Armenian calendar for 2021
  4. Harutyunyan, Khachik (2020). "Armenian Inscriptions of the Church of Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Part 1. The Chapel of John the Evangelist and Its Inscriptions". VEM (in Armenian). 12 (2): 165. Թ.(ՈՒԻՆ) Հ.(ԱՅՈՑ)
  5. 1 2 L. H. Gray, "On Certain Persian and Armenian Month- Names as Influenced by the Avesta Calendar," JAOS 28 (1907), 339.
  6. "արաց - Wiktionary". en.wiktionary.org. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
  7. "Hin Haykakan Tomar". haytomar.com.

Literature