Calendar
The
Armenian calendar
is the calendar traditionally used in
Armenia
, primarily during the medieval ages.
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
aweleac?
("superfluous").
Years in the Armenian era are usually given in
Armenian numerals
(written in
Armenian letters
) preceded by the abbreviation
??
, for
t’vin
(
?????
, meaning "in the year"). For example,
??
????
, which means "the year 1455."
Another prefix is
?.?.
, standing for
t’vin Hayoc?
(
????? ?????
"in the Armenian year").
[4]
Months
[
edit
]
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
Hubschmann-Meillet-Benveniste
system:
Months of the year
#
|
Armenian
|
H-M
Romaniz.
|
Meaning
|
Etymology/Notes
|
1
|
????????
|
nawasard
|
new year
|
Avestan
*nava sar?δa
|
2
|
????
|
ho?i
|
two
|
From
Georgian
???
(ori) meaning "two"
|
3
|
?????
|
sahmi
|
three
|
From Georgian
????
(sami) meaning "three"
|
4
|
???
|
tr?
|
|
Zoroastrian
Tir
|
5
|
?????
|
k?ałoc?
|
month of crops
|
From
Old Armenian
?????
(k?ałem) meaning "to gather" from
PIE
*k?l?-
|
6
|
????
|
arac?
|
harvest-time
|
From Old Armenian ????
[6]
(
arac?
), meaning harvest time, harvest of grape/fruit
|
7
|
???????
|
mehekan
|
festival of Mithra
|
Iranian
*mihrak?n-
; Zoroastrian
Mitr?
|
8
|
????
|
areg
|
sun month
|
From Old Armenian
????
(arew) meaning "sun" from PIE
*h₂rew-i-
also meaning sun
|
9
|
??????
|
ahekan
|
fire festival
|
Iranian *?hrak?n-; Zoroastrian
?tar?
|
10
|
??????
|
mareri
|
mid-year
|
Avestan
maiδya?rya
; Zoroastrian
D?n
|
11
|
??????
|
margac?
|
|
|
12
|
??????
|
hrotic?
|
|
Pahlavi
*fravartak?n
; Zoroastrian
Spendarmat?
|
13
|
???????
[7]
|
aweleac?
|
redundant, superfluous
|
Epagomenal days
|
Days of the month
[
edit
]
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
#
|
Name
|
Armenian Text
|
Meaning/derivation
|
1
|
Areg
|
????
|
sun
|
2
|
Hrand
|
?????
|
earth mixed with fire
|
3
|
Aram
|
????
|
|
4
|
Margar
|
??????
|
prophet
|
5
|
Ahrank’
|
??????
|
half-burned
|
6
|
Mazdeł
|
|
|
7
|
Astłik
|
??????
|
Astłik
|
8
|
Mihr
|
????
|
Mihr (Armenian deity)
|
9
|
Jopaber
|
|
tumultuous
|
10
|
Murc
|
?????
|
triumph
|
11
|
Erezhan
|
|
hermit
|
12
|
Ani
|
???
|
name of a city
|
13
|
Parkhar
|
|
|
14
|
Vanat
|
?????
|
host, refectioner of a monastery
|
15
|
Aramazd
|
???????
|
Aramazd
|
16
|
Mani
|
????
|
beginning
|
17
|
Asak
|
????
|
beginningless
|
18
|
Masis
|
?????
|
Mount Ararat
|
19
|
Anahit
|
??????
|
Anahit
(Armenian goddess)
|
20
|
Aragats
|
??????
|
Mount Aragats
|
21
|
Gorgor
|
|
Name of a mountain
|
22
|
Kordvik
|
|
6th province in
Armenia Major
|
23
|
Tsmak
|
????
|
east wind
|
24
|
Lusnak
|
???????
|
half-moon
|
25
|
Tsr?n
|
|
dispersion
|
26
|
Npat
|
????
|
Apam Napat
|
27
|
Vahagn
|
??????
|
Zoroastrian
Vahr?m
; Avestan
Verethragna
, name of the 20th day
|
28
|
Sim
|
???
|
mountain
|
29
|
Varag
|
?????
|
name of a mountain
|
30
|
Gi?eravar
|
|
evening star
|
Holidays
[
edit
]
Per Armenian law, 12 days are declared as non-working days. Non-working days include:
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
Literature
[
edit
]
- V. B?n??eanu, "Le calendrier armenien et les anciens noms des mois", in: Studia et Acta Orientalia 10, 1980, pp. 33?46
- Edouard Dulaurier
,
Recherches sur la chronologie armenienne technique et historique
(1859), 2001 reprint
ISBN
978-0-543-96647-6
.
- Jost Gippert,
Old Armenian and Caucasian Calendar Systems
in The Annual of The Society for The Study of Caucasia", 1, 1989, 3-12.
[1]
Jost Gippert: Old Armenian and Caucasian Calendar Systems [I]: Frame
- Louis H. Gray
,
On Certain Persian and Armenian Month-Names as Influenced by the Avesta Calendar
, Journal of the American Oriental Society (1907)
- P'. Ingoroq'va, "Jvel-kartuli c'armartuli k'alendari" ("The Old Georgian pagan calendar"), in: Sakartvelos muzeumis moambe ("Messenger of the Museum of Georgia"), 6, 1929?30, pp. 373?446 and 7, 1931?32, pp. 260?336
- K'. K'ek'elije, "Jveli kartuli c'elic'adi" ("The Old Georgian year"), in: St'alinis saxelobis Tbilisis Saxelmc'ipo Universit'et'is ?romebi ("Working papers of the Tbilisi State University by the name of Stalin") 18, 1941, reprinted in the author's "Et'iudebi jveli kartuli lit'erat'uris ist'oriidan" ("Studies in the history of Old Georgian literature") 1, 1956, pp. 99?124.
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Systems
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In wide use
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In more
limited use
| |
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Historical
| |
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By specialty
| |
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Reform proposals
| |
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Displays and
applications
| |
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Year naming
and numbering
| |
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Fictional
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