The Irish calendar is the

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years dif ...

as it is in use in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, but also incorporating Irish cultural festivals and views of the division of the seasons, presumably inherited from earlier

Celtic calendar The Celtic calendar is a compilation of pre-Christian Celtic systems of timekeeping, including the Gaulish Coligny calendar, used by Celtic countries to define the beginning and length of the day, the week, the month, the seasons, quarter days, ...

traditions. For example, the pre-Christian Celtic year began on 1 November, although in common with the rest of the Western world, the year now begins on 1 January. *Winter (" Geimhreadh") - November, December, January (''

Samhain Samhain ( , , , ; gv, Sauin ) is a Gaelic festival on 1 NovemberÓ hÓgáin, Dáithí. ''Myth Legend and Romance: An Encyclopaedia of the Irish Folk Tradition''. Prentice Hall Press, 1991. p. 402. Quote: "The basic Irish division of the year ...

, Nollaig, Eanáir'') *Spring (" Earrach") - February, March, April (

Imbolc Imbolc or Imbolg (), also called Saint Brigid's Day ( ga, Lá Fhéile Bríde; gd, Là Fhèill Brìghde; gv, Laa'l Breeshey), is a Gaelic traditional festival. It marks the beginning of spring, and for Christians it is the feast day of Saint B ...

, then ''Feabhra, Márta, Aibreán'') *Summer (" Samhradh") - May, June, July (''

Bealtaine Beltane () is the Gaelic May Day festival. Commonly observed on the first of May, the festival falls midway between the spring equinox and summer solstice in the northern hemisphere. The festival name is synonymous with the month marking th ...

, Meitheamh, Iúil'') *Autumn (" Fómhar" ''Harvest'') - August, September, October (''

Lúnasa Lughnasadh or Lughnasa ( , ) is a Gaelic festival marking the beginning of the harvest season. Historically, it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. In Modern Irish it is called , in gd, Lùnastal, and in gv, ...

, Meán Fómhair, Deireadh Fómhair'') In English-language Julian calendars and its derivatives, the months are based on names from

Classical mythology Classical mythology, Greco-Roman mythology, or Greek and Roman mythology is both the body of and the study of myths from the ancient Greeks and ancient Romans as they are used or transformed by cultural reception. Along with philosophy and poli ...

, such as the name "February" which derives from the Roman purification rite,

Februa Lupercalia was a pastoral festival of Ancient Rome observed annually on February 15 to purify the city, promoting health and fertility. Lupercalia was also known as ''dies Februatus'', after the purification instruments called ''februa'', the b ...

. In the Irish calendar, the names of the months in the

Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...

refer to Celtic religion and mythology, and generally predate the arrival of Christianity. The words for May (''

''), August (''

'') and November (''

''), are the names of Gaelic

religious festivals A religious festival is a time of special importance marked by adherents to that religion. Religious festivals are commonly celebrated on recurring cycles in a calendar year or lunar calendar. The science of religious rites and festivals is know ...

. In addition, the names for September (''Meán Fómhair'') and October (''Deireadh Fómhair'') translate directly as "middle of harvest" and "end of harvest". Christianity has also left its mark on the Irish months: the name for December (''Nollaig'') derives from Latin ''natalicia'' (birthday), referring to the birth of Christ.Wiktionary.com Historical texts suggest that, during Ireland's Gaelic era, the day began and ended at sunset.Koch, John T. ''Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia''. ABC-CLIO (2006). Page 330. Through contact with the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, the seven-day

week A week is a unit of time equal to seven days. It is the standard time period used for short cycles of days in most parts of the world. The days are often used to indicate common work days and rest days, as well as days of worship. Weeks are of ...

was borrowed by

continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continent, the major landmasses of Earth * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' ( ...

Celts The Celts (, see pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancien ...

, and then spread to the people of Ireland. In Irish, four days of the week have names derived from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, while the other three relate to the

fasting Fasting is the abstention from eating and sometimes drinking. From a purely physiological context, "fasting" may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight (see " Breakfast"), or to the metabolic state achieved after ...

done by early Gaelic Christians.Koch, John T. ''Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia''. ABC-CLIO (2006). Page 331. * ''Dé Luain'' - from Latin ''dies Lunae'' * ''Dé Máirt'' - from Latin ''dies Martis'' * ''Dé Céadaoin'' - referring to Gaelic fasting: from ''céad'' (first) ''aoin'' (fast) i.e. the first fast of the week * ''Déardaoin'' - the day between the fasts * ''Dé hAoine'' - the day of the fast * ''Dé Sathairn'' - from Latin ''dies Saturni'' * ''Dé Domhnaigh'' - from Latin ''dies Dominicus'' (an alternative Latin name for Sunday, ''dies Solis'' being more common)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaelic Calendar Specific calendars Calendar Calendar Calendar Calendar Manx culture Calendar

See also

References