‌Exceptional features of the Iranian calendar. Non-Silk Road

Plan
Introduction
1. History
1.1 Old Persian calendar
1.2 Zoroastrian calendar
1.3 Jalali calendar
1.4 Twelve-year animal cycle

2 Modern calendar
2.1 Reforms of the early 20th century.
2.1.1 In Iran
2.1.2 In Afghanistan

2.2 Month names
2.3 Seasons
2.4 Definition of leap years
2.5 Days of the week
2.6 Compliance Gregorian calendar
2.7 Some dates

Bibliography
Iranian calendar

Introduction

Iranian calendar or Solar Hijri (Persian: تقویم هجری شمسی؛ سالنمای هجری خورشیدی‎) - astronomical solar calendar, which is used as the official calendar in Iran and Afghanistan. The calendar was developed with the participation of Omar Khayyam, and since then it has been updated several times. It dates from the Hegira (the migration of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622, but is based on the solar (tropical) year, unlike the classical Islamic calendar, so its months always fall on the same seasons. The beginning of the year is the day vernal equinox (Navruz, spring holiday).

1. History

1.1. Old Persian calendar

The ancient Iranian calendar, like the ancient Indian calendar, supposedly consisted of six seasons, each of which approximately corresponded to two lunar months. The ancient Persians, having come into contact with Mesopotamian culture, synchronized their calendar with the Babylonian one. The year began at the vernal equinox and consisted of 12 lunar synodic months (29 or 30 days each), thus totaling about 354 days. To compensate for the difference with the tropical year, a thirteenth month was inserted every six years.

1.2. Zoroastrian calendar

Presumably in the 5th century. BC e. was introduced by the Achaemenid administration new type calendar - solar, arranged according to the Egyptian model with 12 months of 30 days, in no way related to the phases of the moon and named after the revered Zoroastrian Yazat. As in the Egyptian calendar, epagomenas were added to 360 days - 5 additional days. To bring such a calendar into line with the tropical year of 365.2422 days, every 120 years (according to other sources 116 years) an accumulating 30 days were inserted in the form of an additional month. It was this calendar that became the prototype of the modern Iranian calendar, and the Zoroastrian names of the months have been preserved in it to this day.

1.3. Jalali calendar

The Muslim conquerors who crushed Sasanian Iran used the Islamic calendar bequeathed by the Koran, based on a year of 12 lunar months without adjustment to the solar year and counting years from the Hijri of Muhammad. This calendar was used as an official calendar throughout the Islamic world and retains its religious significance in Iran to this day. Meanwhile, its complete inconsistency with natural seasons and, consequently, agricultural cycles, very early forced Muslim rulers to use a semblance of the Sasanian Zoroastrian calendar (the so-called Kharaji) with intercalary 5 days every year and one month every 120 years to collect kharaj from the subject non-Muslim population.

In 1079, during the reign of the Seljuk Sultan Jalaluddin Melik Shah, an official solar calendar was adopted, developed by a group of Isfahan astronomers led by Omar Khaim. The main purpose of this calendar was to link Novruz (that is, the beginning of the year) as strictly as possible to the spring equinox, understood as the entry of the sun into the constellation Aries. Thus, 1 Farvardin (Novruz) of the 468 solar year of the Hijri, in which the calendar was adopted, corresponded to Friday, 9 of Ramadan of the 417 lunar year of the Hijri, and 19 Farvardin of the 448 year of Yazdegerd (March 15, 1079). To distinguish it from the Zoroastrian solar year, called qadīmī (“ancient”) or fārsī (“Persian”), the new calendar was called jalālī (Persian جلالی‎) or malekī (Persian ملکی‎) in honor of Melik Shah himself. Likewise, the new Novruz received the names Nowrūz-e malekī, Nowrūz-e solṭānī or Nowrūz-e Ḥamal (“Novruz of Aries”).

The number of days in the months of the Jalali calendar varied depending on the timing of the entry of the sun into one or another zodiac sign and could range from 29 to 32 days. Initially, innovative names for the months, as well as the days of each month, were proposed, modeled on the Zoroastrian calendar. However, they did not take root and the months began to be called, in general, by the name of the corresponding zodiac sign. In Farsi, these names are borrowings from Arabic.

Despite a fairly accurate correspondence with the natural seasons, the Jalali calendar required labor-intensive astronomical observations and calculations, and after the death of its patron Melik Shah in 1092, they virtually ceased. However, during its creation, a general formula for calculating leap years was developed, which added an additional 366th day of the year. IN general view it consists of inserting 8 leap days into 33 years: a leap day is inserted once every four years for 6 cycles, and in the 7th it is inserted once every 5 years. Therefore, for state and economic needs, the Jalali calendar served for a long time in Iran and adjacent countries.

1.4. Twelve-year animal cycle

In the 13th century The Middle East was conquered by the Mongols, who brought the twelve-year cycle of years, called after animals, common in the zone of influence of Chinese culture. The Mongolian innovation did not take root immediately, and ultimately the animal cycle was incorporated into the existing system, where the religious lunar Islamic calendar and the solar Jalali calendar already coexisted, with significant changes. The solar year of Jalali, which completely coincided with the beginning of the lunar year, was excluded from the animal cycle.

2. Modern calendar

2.1. Reforms of the beginning of the 20th century.

In 1911, the Majlis (parliament) of Qajar Iran officially approved a state calendar based on the Jalali calendar with month names in honor of zodiac constellations(or rather signs) and naming the years according to the twelve-year animal cycle. It remained in use until the 1925 revolution.

After Shah Reza Pahlavi came to power on 11 Farvardin 1304 sol. X. (March 31, 1925) Iranian Parliament adopts new calendar - Solar Hijra(Persian: گاهشماری هجری خورشیدی یا هجری شمسی‎), in which the ancient Zoroastrian names of the months were restored. Not least of all, the adoption of these names was facilitated by the Zoroastrian candidate Keykhosrow Shahrukh, supported by a group of Iranian Muslim patriots. At the same time, the twelve-year animal cycle was officially prohibited, although it was still used in everyday life for a long time.

The new calendar is simplified version Jalali. The first six months consist of 31 days, the next five of 30 days, and the last of 29 days in ordinary years or 30 in leap years (Persian: کبیسه‎). The longer duration of the first half of the year corresponds to a longer period between the spring and autumn equinox. In general, the insertion of leap years in the calendar follows a 33-year cycle, sometimes replaced by 29 and 37 years.

On Esfand 24, 1354 AH/March 14, 1975, on the initiative of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, a new era was introduced instead of the Hijri era - shahanshahi(Persian شاهنشاهی‎) “royal” from the estimated year of Cyrus the Great’s accession to the throne (559 BC). March 21, 1976 became the first day of the year 2535 of the Shahankhahi era. This innovation caused rejection among Islamic clerics and was generally ignored by society. In 1978, the Shah was forced to restore the Hijri era.

Although the 1979 revolution took place under the banner of Islamization and the rejection of everything associated with the heritage of the Pahlavi dynasty, after its completion the Iranian calendar was not changed and the Zoroastrian names of the months are still preserved.

In Afghanistan

In 1301 AD/1922, following the example of Iran, the Iranian solar calendar with zodiac names of months was introduced in neighboring Afghanistan, where until then only the lunar hijri had been officially used. Moreover, in the Dari language, as in Iran, they are called by Arabic names, and they were translated literally into the Pashto language.

Initially, as in the Jalali calendar, the number of days of the months varied depending on the movement of the sun through the zodiac (from 29 to 32). Only in 1336/1957 was the Iranian system introduced with a constant number of days in months, but the names of the months themselves remained the same.

2.2. Month names

The Iranian year begins on the vernal equinox, celebrated as Nowruz - the most significant folk holiday in Iran, Afghanistan, also celebrated in many neighboring countries, where, however, other calendars are adopted.

2.3. Seasons

The year is traditionally divided into four seasons of three months each:

· Spring(Persian بهار‎, Pashto پسرلۍ): farvardin, ordibehesht, khordad

· Summer(Persian تابستان‎, Pashto دوبئ["dobai]): shooting range, mordad, shahrivar

· Autumn(Persian پایز‎, Pashto منئ["mənai]): mehr, aban, azar

· Winter(Persian زمستان‎, Pashto ژمئ["ʒəmai]): dey, bahman, esfand

2.4. Definition of Leap Years

Leap years are defined differently than in the Gregorian calendar: a leap year is a year whose numerical value is divided by 33 and the remainder is 1, 5, 9, 13, 17, 22, 26 or 30; thus there are 8 leap years in every 33 year period, and average duration year is 365.24242 days, which gives an error of 1 day in 4500 years. The Iranian calendar is more accurate than the Gregorian calendar in this regard.

2.5. Days of the week

The week of the Iranian calendar begins on Saturday and ends on Friday - an official day off.

Reforms of the beginning of the 20th century.

In Iran

In 1911, the Mejlis of Qajar Iran officially approved a state calendar based on the Jalali calendar with the names of the months in honor of the zodiac constellations and the naming of years according to the twelve-year animal cycle. It remained in use until the 1925 revolution.

After Shah Reza Pahlavi came to power on 11 Farvardin 1304 sol. X. The Iranian parliament adopts a new calendar, the Solar Hijri, in which the ancient Zoroastrian names of the months were restored. Not least of all, the adoption of these names was facilitated by the Zoroastrian candidate Keykhosrow Shahrukh, supported by a group of Iranian Muslim patriots. At the same time, the twelve-year animal cycle was officially prohibited, although it was still used in everyday life for a long time.

The new calendar is a simplified version of Jalali. The first six months consist of 31 days, the next five of 30 days, and the last of 29 days in normal years or 30 in leap years. Long duration the first half of the year corresponds to a longer period between the spring and autumn equinox. In general, the insertion of leap years in the calendar follows a 33-year cycle, sometimes replaced by 29 and 37 years.

On Esfand 24, 1354 AH/March 14, 1975, on the initiative of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, instead of the Hijra era, a new era was introduced - the Shahanshahi "royal" from the expected year of Cyrus the Great's accession to the throne. March 21, 1976 became the first day of the year 2535 of the Shahankhahi era. This innovation caused rejection among Islamic clerics and was generally ignored by society. In 1978, the Shah was forced to restore the Hijri era.

Although the 1979 revolution took place under the banner of Islamization and the rejection of everything associated with the heritage of the Pahlavi dynasty, after its completion the Iranian calendar was not changed and the Zoroastrian names of the months are still preserved.

In Afghanistan

In 1301 AD/1922, following the example of Iran, the Iranian solar calendar with zodiac names of months was introduced in neighboring Afghanistan, where until then only the lunar hijri had been officially used. Moreover, in the Dari language, as in Iran, they are called by Arabic names, and they were translated literally into the Pashto language.

Initially, as in the Jalali calendar, the number of days of the months varied depending on the movement of the sun through the zodiac. Only in 1336/1957 was the Iranian system introduced with a constant number of days in months, but the names of the months themselves remained the same.

Month names

The Iranian year begins on the vernal equinox, celebrated as Nowruz, the most significant national holiday in Iran and Afghanistan, also celebrated in many neighboring countries, where, however, other calendars are adopted.

Seasons

The year is traditionally divided into four seasons of three months each:

• Spring: Farvardin, Ordibehesht, Khordad
• Summer: shooting range, mordad, shakhrivar
• Autumn: mehr, aban, azar
• Winter: dey, bahman, esfand

Definition of Leap Years

Leap years are defined differently than in the Gregorian calendar: a leap year is a year whose numerical value is divided by 33 and the remainder is 1, 5, 9, 13, 17, 22, 26 or 30; thus, there are 8 leap years in each 33-year period, and the average length of the year is 365.24242 days, giving an error of 1 day in 4500 years. The Iranian calendar is more accurate than the Gregorian calendar in this regard.

Days of the week

The Iranian calendar week starts on Saturday and ends on Friday, which is an official day off.

• Saturday Shambe;
• Sunday Yekshambe;
• Monday Doshambe;
• Tuesday Seshambe;
• Wednesday Chaharshambe;
• Thursday Panjshambe;
• Friday Joma or Adina

The names of the days from Sunday to Thursday are the addition of a sequential numeral to the name of Saturday: Sunday “one-Saturday”, Monday “two-Saturday”, etc. The name of Friday Jome comes from the Arabic word “meeting” meaning traditional Friday collective prayer of Muslims.

Compliance with the Gregorian calendar

The asterisk marks the years in which Nowruz falls on March 20 of the Gregorian calendar. In other years, Novruz March 21.

Some dates

• 12 Bahmana 1357 February 1, 1979: Khomeini's arrival in Iran;
• 12 farvardin 1358 April 1, 1979: Proclamation of the Islamic Republic in Iran;
• 12 Mordad 1384 August 3, 2005: Ahmadinejad takes office as president.

Like all living beings, humans have determined the seasons from the very beginning of their existence and evolution. Over time, they learned to calculate the month based on the lunar phases - the waxing and waning Moon, and also learned that the solar year consists of twelve “moons” and several more days. Those for whom there were no seasons of great importance, counted only twelve moons and were much less concerned about the solar year. They followed and still continue to follow the lunar year. Thus, Muslims use the lunar calendar. Those who had to keep track of the seasons, caring for their herds and fields, had to calculate and, as far as possible, synchronize the lunar and solar years. Some did this by adding one moon every three years, later learning to use other adjustments to keep the year in line with the seasons. The lunisolar year is still used by many, including Buddhists, Hindus and Jews. Christians followed the solar year, but did not base the beginning of their year on the first of the four seasons. Their year begins close to Christmas - on January 1, earlier than the eleventh month of the pre-Christian Romans. The months of the Christian era, when considered at their beginning and end, are not in harmony with the seasons.

The true solar year, also known as the tropical year, was an even more recent discovery. To maintain the exact course of the solar year, the equinox or solstice point must be determined. The equinoxes are the two intersections of the visible annual path of the Sun with the celestial equator. The sun reaches the vernal equinox on 1 Farvardin (around March 21), summer solstice- 1 Tire (around June 22), autumn equinox - 1 Mehr (around September 23) and winter solstice - 1 Day (around December 22). Because the Sun and the celestial equator move in opposite directions, the equinoxes and solstices occur at different times each year. This counterclockwise movement of the intersection point is called precession. It moves one degree in 72 years, one zodiac sign (30 degrees) in 2156 years, and returns to the same place, having completed a full circle, in 25868 years. For more detailed information about the calendar, solar or tropical year, precession and other astronomical data, one can consult any good encyclopedia or publication on astronomy and astrology.

The tropical year, based on four seasons, is the most accurate. It includes 365.24224 solar days (365 days 5 hours 48 minutes 45.5 seconds), and the tropical lunar year includes 354.36708 solar days, with a difference of 10.87516 solar days. You don't have to look far to find the best calendar to use. Of all the existing calendars, the official Iranian calendar, based on the astronomical system, is the most scientific calendar, and the names of its months are Zoroastrian. He quite rightly defines the vernal equinox (around March 21) as the beginning of spring and the beginning of the year. The fourth month begins with the summer solstice (around June 22), the seventh month with the autumn equinox (around September 23) and the tenth with the winter solstice (around December 22).

In a true seasonal year, the first half contains 186 days and the second half about 179,242 days. This means that each of the first six months has 31 days, each of the next five months has 30 days, and the last month has 29 days (in a leap year, 30 days). The four seasons begin at the equinoxes and solstices. This is exactly what the Iranian calendar, built on this principle, follows exactly.

Historical evidence that five days of Ghat were added at the end of summer proves that the ancient Zoroastrian calendar took into account the length of the seasons of the tropical year.
Indo-Iranian calendar

Evidence from the Avesta and Vedas proves that the Indo-Iranians, like many other peoples, used the lunisolar calendar for the purposes of animal husbandry and agriculture. The names of the six Gahanbars, the six parts of the Vedic year and the names of the Achaemenid months, as will be shown later, indicate that the calendar was based on various seasonal events.

The Gathas talk about the path of the Sun and stars and mention the lunar phases - the waxing and waning Moon, which is definitely a sign of an accurate lunisolar calendar. The language used is astronomical, and this confirms the evidence from ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean sources that Zarathushtra was an outstanding astronomer. This also confirms the claims of post-Sasanian Iranian books on astronomy that Zoroaster built an observatory in Zabul (Sistan, eastern Iran), which was opened on March 21, 1725 BC - the day Shah Vishtaspa and his retinue were elected Good Faith and joined the Zoroastrian community. This, in turn, gives us the clue that the Good Faith was founded by Zoroaster exactly twelve years earlier on the vernal equinox of 1737 BC.

Vispered, which deals exclusively with the six seasonal festivals, Gāhānbār, also shows that the early Zoroastrian calendar was in fact an ancient Indo-Iranian lunisolar calendar, taking into account the waxing and waning of the Moon. The month was based on the phases of the Moon, and the length of the year was determined by the movement of the Sun. The difference was corrected by adding eleven days at the end of the year, during the festival of Hamaspatmaidaya Gahanbar - close to the spring equinox. This was 0.12484 days or 2.99616 hours less than required. Only the further addition of one day every eight years (more precisely, every 8.010253 years) helped to keep the seasonal holidays in their proper places. We don't know how they were added additional days during the Ghats. We only know that there is no indication, recorded in the Avesta, that holidays are shifted relative to the correct agricultural seasons.

Some time later, during the time of the Younger Avesta, the length of the year was taken to be equal to the simple solar year of 365 days, with twelve months of thirty days and five days of Gathas as an additional period. According to the Pahlavi tradition of the 9th century, the correction of a little over five hours of difference was undertaken every four years, or the community had to wait 40 years to add 10 days, or 120 years to add a thirteenth month of 30 days. The reference to adding one month after 120 years recalls the ordeal that befell the Sassanian Empire in its final days.

Leap year

A few words should be said about leap year. The exact time of the vernal equinox is determined by the prime meridian, currently passing through Greenwich. Typically a year is taken to be 365 days and 6 hours. Four segments of 6 hours each constitute one day, which is added to return the year to the correct movement. This fourth year is called a leap year because one leap day is added. However, in fact, not 6 hours should be added to 365 days, but 5 hours 48 minutes and 45.5 seconds, that is, 11 minutes and 14.5 seconds less. This amounts to one day in 128 years. To correct this difference, it is customary not to count a leap year that is divisible by 400. But even this makes the Christian, or Gregorian, calendar 26 seconds longer than the tropical year.

The Iranian calendar does not face this problem. His New Year begins exactly with the spring equinox. Although technically the Iranian year currently has the concept of a leap year, it does not worry about it. All that is required is to look at the exact time of the equinox, and if it occurs after midnight (00 hours 00 minutes 01 seconds), then the first day of the year also begins on that day. This is so because the Avestan day begins with Ushahin Gāh, that is, from midnight. Yes, the Iranians calculated the beginning of the day from midnight at least since 1737 BC, but the West adopted this much later, in our time. The Iranian calendar does not need a leap year at all. It automatically matches exact time. I would like to hope that one day the authorities will understand this fact and correct the calendar, eliminating the so-called leap year.

Calendar names

Each of the twelve Avestan months and thirty days was named after one of the divine objects and principles, collectively called Yazata, meaning "respected, revered." The year as a whole was called yāiri or yāri, but the regulating solar year was called saredha, in the ancient Persian Achaemenid language - tharda, in Pahlavi and modern Persian - sal (sāl) (cf. Skt. "sharad" - autumn, year).

This calendar is followed to this day by the Iranian Zoroastrians and some Parsis. It is called by the modern Persian-Arabic word Fasli, which means "seasonal".

However, most Parsis use the Shahenshahi, or "royal" calendar (Shenshai in Gujarati). The Parsis have not regulated the calendar since 1126 AD. It currently begins on August 21 - exactly seven months and one day earlier. The Iranian Zoroastrians, who follow the Qadimi calendar (Arabic word meaning "primary, ancient", in Gujarati - Qadmi), ceased regulation in 1006 AD. This year starts on July 21st. Their 365-day year shifted relative to the spring equinox by eight months. As is easy to see, these two calendars are neither precisely gatic nor astronomically sound. This is the existing chronology of the Zoroastrian era, which is followed by the followers of Shahenshahi, Kadhimi and Parsis who follow Fasli. It dates back to the coronation of the last Sasanian king Yazdegerd III (632-642 AD + 10 years of wandering until his murder) and has no religious significance.

Fortunately, almost all Iranian Zoroastrians, with the exception of a small number living in India, preferred the Fasli calendar to the Kadhimi calendar and date from the Era of the Religion of Zarathushtra. Currently, there is a certain movement for the unification of all Zoroastrians, according to at least in North America and Europe, based on the Fasli calendar.
Names of seasonal events of Gahanbara

People involved in agriculture in their Everyday life were in harmony with nature. They knew very well the movement of the Moon and the Sun and the change of seasons. They timed their actions to adapt to the climate in which they lived. This routine went hand in hand with the sareda, a tropical solar year of 365 days, 5 hours, 48 ​​minutes and 45.5 seconds, but differed slightly at certain points.

The activities of the people were planned to correspond to the different stages of their agricultural life on the Iranian Plateau, which was divided into six phases. The end of one phase and the beginning of another was celebrated as a special time, a holiday. The six seasonal festivals were:

1. Hamaspathmaidhaya - “spring equinox” (1st day of the month Farvardin, beginning of spring, around March 21) - the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. According to the Avesta, it was a time of “proper preparation” of everything and preparation for the New Year.
2. Maidhyoi-zaremaya - “mid-spring” (14th day of the month Ardibehesht, around May 4) - the time of the holiday in honor of the livestock that gave “abundance of milk”, as well as the time of assessing the seedlings of winter or sown grain at the beginning of spring.
3. Maidhyoi-shema - “midsummer” (12th day of the month Tire, around July 3) - the beginning of the harvest season.
4. Paitish-hahya - “harvesting grain” (25th day of the month of Shahrivar, around September 16) - the end of the harvest.
5. Ayāthrema - “without travel” (24th day of the month Mehr, around October 16) - a holiday of the end of trade caravans and the time of mating of livestock before the onset of winter.
6. Maidhyāirya - “mid-year” (15th day of the month Day, around January 4) - the peak of winter, the beginning of preparations for spring and agricultural activity.

Only the first two holidays coincided with solar seasonal changes. Others were deliberately put aside to suit living conditions. These people did not devote their lives to the calendar or tradition, but were very practical people, which is worthy of special attention.
Gahanbars and Zoroastrians

Asho Zarathushtra, born in an agricultural environment, preached and spread his Good Faith among people engaged in growing crops and raising livestock. His dynamic message introduced an entirely new order in the spiritual realm or, as he himself said, in the realm of thought, and removed all evil and superstitious thoughts, misleading words, harmful deeds, superficial ceremonies and unnecessary rituals, helping to strengthen and promote all existing acts good life. Gahanbars represented creative and joyful holidays.

Singing and food

Avestan evidence, especially the Visperd book, shows that the first Zoroastrians turned Gahanbar into an event consistent with their new way of life. Each holiday was traditionally celebrated for one day, and later for five days, which were devoted to reading, chanting, explanation, understanding, questions and answers on each of the five Gathas of Asho Zarathushtra. The holiday was accompanied by treats prepared through the efforts of all participants and fun.

According to the instructions of the Avesta, each of the participants had to bring to the holiday what he could afford - dairy products, meat, vegetables, beans, grain, other food, as well as firewood. If someone did not have the opportunity to contribute, he could offer his participation in preparing the food brought, or just join in the prayers. The food with a wide variety of ingredients was very tasty and reminiscent of the Iranian “āsh”, which is more difficult to prepare, or the Parsi spicy “dhansāk”, which are prepared by the Zoroastrians for holidays in our days.

Vedic calendar

It should be noted that the Indo-Aryans also had six seasons (Skt. rtu, Avest. ratu), apparently modified to suit the climate in the Indus Valley - Vasanta (spring), Grishma (summer), Varsha (rains), Sharada (autumn) ), Hemanta (winter) and Shishira (cold season).
Persian and other Iranian calendars

The Achaemenids, Sogdians, Khorezmians and Armenians, who were Zoroastrians, had their own names for the months. The names of the Achaemenid months, as follows from the bas-reliefs of Darius the Great, were as follows:

* 1 - month of cleaning irrigation canals;
* 2 - energy-bringing spring;
* 3 - month of garlic harvesting;
* 4 - hot step;
* 7 - reverence for God;
* 8 - birth of a wolf;
* 9 - veneration of fire;
* 10 - anamaka (anāmaka) - nameless month;
* 12 - digging.

The names of three of the twelve months are not given in Old Persian, but their Elamite pronunciation is known, and most of the names (with the exception of two) do not have a religious connotation. The Achaemenids used numbers instead of names for the days of the month (see Old Persian, Ronald G. Kent, 2nd ed., New Haven, 1953). Thus, the use of Yazat names to name months and days is a later tradition. There are some indications that this was done during the reign of Artaxerxes II (405-359 BC), and that the tradition of naming months and days in this way was adopted from the Egyptians.

The names of the Gahanbars and the names of the Vedic, Achaemenid, Sogdian, Khwarezmian and Armenian months show that the names of the pre-Zaratushtrian and Gathic months must have been based on the designation of seasons and social events. However, from existing Zoroastrian texts we have no idea what they were like.

Young Avestan calendar

Below are the names of the twelve months in modern Persian with their Avestan form and correspondence to the signs of the Zodiac:

No. in Persian in Avestan Zodiac Sign

Please note: the highlighted titles are the Gathic "Fundamental Principles of Life". Azar/Atra (Fire) was mentioned in the Gathas as a symbol of Progressive Thought (Spenta Mainyu), Ap (Water) was also mentioned in the Gathic texts, the rest are the names of the Yazatas of the Younger Avesta.

A week

People of the times of the Elder Avesta had no concept of a week as a period of 7 days, which is a common period of time today. A week is an artificially formed unit. Its length is different nations ranged from five to ten days. But since the lunar month, as one of the earliest methods of calculating time, contains 29 or 30 days with two growth phases and decreasing, the easiest way was to divide them further in two and get four quarters in 7 and 8 days. The seven planets visible to the naked eye may also have played a role in the formation of the week. That's why the days of the week are named after celestial bodies. However, the existing week is most likely Chaldean or Jewish origin, and was spread by Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

The Young Avestan solar calendar, based on a 30-day month, has four quarters - the first two of seven days and the second two of eight days. However, Avestan and Pahlavi do not contain any names for each of these quarters. Modern Persian follows the Hebrew pattern of defining the Sabbath as Shanbeh, an Iranianized form of Shabbath, and then counting from one to five as Yek-shanbeh, Do-shanbeh, Se-shanbeh. Se-shanbeh), Chahār-shanbeh, Panj-shanbeh, and, under Islamic influence, Ādineh or Jom`eh for Friday, the day of congregational prayer.

The Pahlavi texts tell us that the religious era began from the day Zarathushtra proclaimed his Divine Mission to humanity. Based on the astronomical calculation that Zarathushtra proclaimed his mission on the day of the vernal equinox, when, according to precession, the period of Aries is supposed to have begun, 1737 BC is taken as the beginning of the era. In Pahlavi texts, the religious era was called the "Year of Religion". Modern Zoroastrians call it the Zarathushtrian Religious Era (ZRE) and use the year of the religion's proclamation as the starting point for the Zarathushtrian calendar. The Zoroastrian community in Iran joined in using ZRE for their calendar in 1993, and many Zoroastrians in the diaspora have also adopted it.

Previously, each of the Iranian Shahs, following the example of other Middle Eastern rulers, especially the Babylonians, calculated new era from his own accession to the throne. After more than 80 rulers of the Iranian throne over a thousand years - Achaemenids, Macedonians, Parthians and Sassanids - there was a huge confusion in the chronology, and many dates were distorted, misused, misstated, misinterpreted, miscalculated and omitted. Yazdgerdi Era recalls one of the last emperors, who was overthrown by the Arab conquerors.

Sassanians and two calendars

The Sassanians continued to maintain both calendars - "yāiri" with a duration of 365 days and "saredha" with a duration of 365.24224 days. They called the first one “oshmurdīk”, which meant “suitable for remembering, suitable for counting”, and the second one “vihezakīk”, which meant “moving, advancing, adding”. While "countable" was used by the laity due to its ease in remembering and counting names, "added" belonged to the astronomical priests associated with the imperial court, and was used to keep the formal year accurate and in accordance with the seasons. As already said, they updated the “oshmurdīk” every four years. This allowed the two calendars to coexist in parallel. The fall of the Sassanian Empire deprived the astronomer priests of their high position. However, the leap year, as the Pahlavi books say and the existing position of the Kadhimi and Shahenshahi calendars, persisted until the 11th century. AD The removal of the astronomer clerics put an end to both the calculation of "vihezakīk" and the updating of "oshmurdīk", and ordinary clerics continued to use only "oshmurdīk", shifting approximately one day every four years of the seasonal and solar year. This explains why the Parsi Shahenshahi calendar and the Iranian Kadhimi calendar advanced by seven and eight months respectively.

However, the needs of the economy, particularly the seasonal collection of taxes, forced the Muslim caliphs (apparently with the help of those astronomer-clerics who converted to Islam) to maintain a leap year in addition to the Islamic calendar, which was based solely on the lunar year without taking into account any astronomical and seasonal factors.

It was this “vihezakīk” year, lukewarmly supported by Muslim rulers, that was improved, perfected and formally restored by Omar Khayyam and other Iranian scholars. It was named the "Jalāli" calendar in honor of its patron, Sultan Jalal al-Din Malekshah Saljuqi (1072-1092 AD).

The year of Fasli, officially observed in modern Iran by the Zoroastrians, Jews, Christians and Muslims, is the “saredha” of the Avesta people, the “tharda” of the Achaemenids, the “vihezakīk” of the Sassanids and the “Jalāli” of Omar Khayyam. The exact solar year is also calculated by all astronomical observatories in the world. This is the universal astronomical and scientific year. This calendar, "vihezakīk" (Persian "behizaki"), now called "Khorshidi" or "solar", is the official Iranian calendar - accurate calendar with numbered dates. It is astronomically accurate, progressive and truly Zoroastrian.

Nowruz

Nowruz in Persian means "New Day" ("New Year's Day"). This is the beginning of the year for people in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Tajikistan and general cultural heritage. It is also celebrated as New Year by people of Iranian origin, especially Kurds, in neighboring countries - Georgia, Iraq, Syria and Turkey. It begins exactly with the beginning of spring on the vernal equinox, around March 21st.

The tradition of celebrating Nowruz dates back to about 15,000 years ago - before the last ice age. Shah Jamshid (Yima/Yama among the Indo-Europeans) symbolizes in the history of mankind the transition of the Indo-Iranians from hunting to animal husbandry and a more sedentary life. The seasons played then vitally important role. Everything depended on the four seasons. After the dividing winter, the beginning of spring was a great event in mother nature, accompanied by the appearance of green cover with colorful flowers and the birth of livestock. It was the dawn of abundance. Jamshid is said to have been the person who introduced the tradition of celebrating Nowruz.

Avestan and later writings show that Zoroaster perfected it in 1725 BC. old Indo-Iranian calendar. The prevailing calendar at that time was lunisolar. The lunar year contains 354 days. Adding one month every thirty months kept the calendar nearly consistent with the seasons. Zarathushtra, the Founder of the Good Faith, himself a former astronomer, founded an observatory and reformed the calendar by introducing an eleven-day additional period to make the lunisolar year equal to 365 days and a little over 5 hours. Later the year was made exclusively solar, with thirty days in each month. The addition of five days and the further addition of one day every four years was introduced to keep the year at 365 days and 5-odd hours. Still later, the calendar was corrected again to produce an exactly solar year of 365 days, 5 hours, 48 ​​minutes, 45.5 seconds. The year always began exactly with the vernal equinox, and therefore there was no special need to add one day every four years, there was no need for a leap year. It was the best and most correct calendar that was ever produced.

Some 12 centuries later, in 487 BC, Darius the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty celebrated Nowruz at his newly built Persepolis in Iran. Recent research suggests that it was a special case. On this day the first rays rising sun fell on the observatory in the main reception hall at 6:30 to noon - an event that repeats itself once every 1400/1401 years. This date also coincided with the Babylonian and Jewish New Year. Therefore, this was a very favorable event for the ancient peoples. Persepolis was the place where the Achaemenid Shah received representatives of all the peoples of his vast empire at Nowruz. The walls of the great royal palace depict scenes of celebrations.

We know that the Parthians also celebrated this event, but we do not know the details. This was to more or less follow the Achaemenid pattern. In Sasanian times, preparations began at least 25 days before Nowruz. Twelve pillars, made of earth briquettes and dedicated to the months of the year, were installed in the royal courtyard. Seeds of plants - wheat, barley, lentils, beans and others - were sown on the tops of the pillars and produced luxurious greenery by New Year's Day. The Great Shah gave a general reception, and the High Priest of the Empire was the first to greet him. Next came the official rulers. Each person brought a gift and received a gift. The reception lasted for five days, each day was intended for people of a certain profession. Then on the sixth day, called Great Nowruz, the king gave a special reception. He received members of the royal family and courtiers. A general amnesty was proclaimed for those convicted of minor crimes. The pillars were removed on the 16th day, and the holiday came to an end. On a somewhat smaller scale, the joyful event of the New Year was celebrated by all people in all parts of the empire.

Since that time, peoples of Iranian origin, whether Zoroastrians, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Baha'is or others, have celebrated Nowruz precisely at the time of the vernal equinox, on the first day of the first month, around March 21st.

Today the ceremony has been simplified. Each house is cleaned about a month before the New Year. Wheat, barley, lentils and other seeds are soaked on porcelain plates and in round bowls about ten days before the festival in order to produce sprouts three to four inches high by Nowruz. The table is set for the holiday. On it is holy book(for Zoroastrians - Gathas), portrait of Zarathushtra, mirror, candles, incense burner, aquarium with live goldfish, plates and bowls with green sprouts, flowers, fruits, coins, bread, sugar cone, various grains, fresh vegetables, colorfully painted boiled eggs(similar to Easter ones), and necessarily seven products with names beginning in Persian with the letter “s” or “sh”.

Common items starting with the letter "s" include sirke (vinegar), sumac (condiment), sir (garlic), samana (wheat paste), sib (apple), sanged (rowan) and sabze (greens). Items starting with the letter "sh" include sharab (wine), shakar (sugar), sharbat (syrup), sha'd (honey), shirini (sweets, candies), shiri (milk) and shawls (rice, rice pudding). In other Asian countries, Africa, North America, Latin America, Europe and Australia, they may be replaced by other items to suit the English or national language - using words that can be alliterated, rhymed or simply whet the appetite. These seven objects are clearly displayed on small balls or plates on the table. The entire table, beautifully decorated, symbolizes Revelation and the Messenger, light, reflection, warmth, life, joy, birth, prosperity and nature. This is, in fact, a very complex table of thanksgiving for everything good and beautiful that God has given.

Family members, dressed in their best clothes, sit around the table and eagerly await the announcement of the exact time of the spring equinox on the radio or television. The head of the family recites prayers for Nowruz, and after the time comes, each family member kisses the other and wishes a happy Nowruz. Parents give gifts to younger family members. Then visits to neighbors, relatives and friends begin. Every visit is reciprocated.

Zarathushtra's birthday is celebrated by the Zarathushtrians on Farvardin 6 (around March 26). Singing and dancing are the usual daily routine during the first two weeks of Nowruz. The holiday lasts for 12 days, and on the morning of the 13th day a mass picnic is organized in nature. It is called "sizdeh-be-dar", which means "the thirteenth-behind-the-door". Cities and villages become empty - all residents are in a hurry to enjoy their stay in the forest, in the mountains, on the banks of rivers. People sing, dance and have fun. Girls who have reached the age of marriage weave wreaths and make a wish to get married and give birth to a beautiful child by the next Nowruz.

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What is the year now? This is not as simple a question as it seems. Everything is relative.
People created calendars to measure the passage of time. But time is ephemeral, it
cannot be caught and marked as a reference point. This is the difficulty. How to find the beginning? Where to count? And what steps?

This article website talks about different current calendars. There are and have been many more calendars. But even these few are enough to realize the relativity and ephemerality of time.

2018 will come in Russia

Most countries in the world live according to the Gregorian calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII to replace the Julian one. The difference between these calendars is now 13 days and increases by 3 days every 400 years. Therefore, such a holiday as the Old New Year was formed - this is the New Year according to the old style, according to Julian calendar, which continues to be encountered out of habit in a number of countries. But no one refuses the usual New Year either.

The Gregorian calendar was introduced in 1582 in Catholic countries and gradually, over several centuries, spread to other countries. It is according to him that 2018 will begin on January 1.

The year 2561 will come in Thailand

In Thailand in 2018 (Gregorian calendar) the year will be 2561. Officially Thailand lives according to Buddhist lunar calendar, where the calendar is calculated from the Buddha's acquisition of nirvana.

But the calendar we are used to is also in use. For foreigners, exceptions are often made and the year on goods or documents may be indicated in accordance with Gregorian calendar. They also live according to the Buddhist calendar in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

It's 2011 in Ethiopia

The Ethiopian calendar lags behind our usual one by about 8 years. And besides, there are 13 months in a year. 12 months of 30 days and the last, 13th month is very short - 5 or 6 days depending on whether it is a leap year or not. And the day begins not at midnight, but at sunrise. The Ethiopian calendar is based on the ancient Alexandrian calendar.

The year 5778 will come in Israel

The Hebrew calendar is officially used in Israel along with the Gregorian calendar. According to this calendar, Jewish holidays, memorial days and birthdays of relatives are celebrated. Months on this calendar begin strictly on the new moon, and the first day of the year (Rosh Hashanah) can only fall on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday. And in order for Rosh Hashanah to fall on a valid day of the week, the previous year is extended by one day.

The Jewish calendar begins with the very first new moon, which occurred on Monday, October 7, 3761 BC. e., in 5 hours and 204 parts. An hour in the Jewish calendar consists of 1,080 parts, and each part is made up of 76 moments.

The year 1439 will come in Pakistan

The Islamic calendar is used to determine the dates of religious holidays
and as the official calendar in some Muslim countries. Calculation
dates back to the date of the migration of the Prophet Muhammad and the first Muslims from Mecca to
Medina (622 AD).

The day in this calendar begins at sunset, not at midnight. The beginning of the month is considered to be the day when the crescent moon appears for the first time after the new moon.
The length of the Islamic calendar year is 10–11 days less than the solar one
years, and the months shift relative to the seasons. Those months that fell on
summer, after a while they will become winter, and vice versa.

The year 1396 will come in Iran

The Iranian calendar, or solar Hijri, is the official calendar in
Iran and Afghanistan. This astronomical solar calendar was developed
with the participation of Omar Khayyam.

The Iranian calendar dates from the Hijri, like the Islamic calendar, but it is based on the solar year, so its months always fall at the same time of year. The Iranian calendar week begins on Saturday and ends on Friday, which is considered a day off.

According to the Indian calendar, the year will be 1939

The unified national calendar of India was developed relatively recently and
adopted in 1957. His calculations are based on the Saka era - an ancient system
chronology, common in India and Cambodia.

Also in India there are other calendars used by different nationalities and tribes. Some take as their starting point the date of Krishna’s death (3102 BC), others take Vikrama’s rise to power in 57, and others, according to the Buddhist calendar, begin counting the years from the date of death of Buddha Gautama (543 AD).

It's 30 years in Japan

In Japan, there is both a chronological system from the Nativity of Christ and a traditional one, which is based on the years of reign of the Japanese emperors. Each emperor gives a name to the era - the motto of his reign.

Since 1989, the “Era of Peace and Tranquility” in Japan, the throne has been occupied by Emperor Akihito. The previous era - the “Enlightened World” - lasted 64 years. In the majority official documents It is customary to use 2 dates - according to the Gregorian calendar and according to the year of the current era in Japan.