Mandaean Calendar
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The Mandaean calendar is a 365-day
solar calendar A solar calendar is a calendar whose dates indicates 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 ...
used by the Mandaean people.Drower, Ethel Stefana. ''The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran''. Oxford At The Clarendon Press, 1937. It consists of twelve 30-day months, with five extra days at the end of Å umbulta (the 8th month). The Parwanaya (or Panja) festival takes place during those five days. There is no leap year therefore every four years all Mandaean dates (like beginnings of the months or festivals) move one day back with respect to the
Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian cale ...
.


Months

Each month (''iahra'' or ''yahra'') is named after a constellation (''manzalta''). The Mandaic names of the twelve constellations of the
Zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north and south celestial latitude of the ecliptic – the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. Within this zodiac ...
are derived from common
Aramaic Aramaic (; ) is a Northwest Semitic language that originated in the ancient region of Syria and quickly spread to Mesopotamia, the southern Levant, Sinai, southeastern Anatolia, and Eastern Arabia, where it has been continually written a ...
roots. As with the seven planets, the constellations, frequently known as the ''trisar'' (, "The Twelve") or ''trisar malwašia'' ("Twelve Constellations") in Mandaic texts, are generally not viewed favorably since they constitute part of the entourage of Ruha, the Queen of the
World of Darkness ''World of Darkness'' is a series of tabletop role-playing games, originally created by Mark Rein-Hagen for White Wolf Publishing. It began as an annual line of five games in 1991–1995, with ''Vampire: The Masquerade'', ''Werewolf: The Apocaly ...
, who is also their mother. There is also another alternative set of names for the Mandaean months cognate with the month names found in the Babylonian and
Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
calendars. Each month consists of exactly 30 days. The Parwanaya festival comes between the 8th month ( Å umbulta) and 9th month ( Qaina) to make up for 5 extra days in the solar calendar. Due to a lack of a
leap year A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or bissextile year) is a calendar year that contains an additional day (or, in the case of a lunisolar calendar, a month) compared to a common year. The 366th day (or 13th month) is added to keep t ...
included in the Mandaean calendar, dates change by one day every four years with respect to the
Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian cale ...
. Currently, for example in 2022 CE, Sará¹­ana, meaning
Cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...
, corresponds to December / January in the Gregorian calendar, instead of June / July.


Days and hours

The hours of the day are counted starting at dawn (''ṣipra''), although Mandaeans formerly counted the hours of the day starting at sunset or evening (''paina''). In Mandaic, a 24-hour day is known as a ''yuma'', daytime as ''ʿumama'', and nighttime as ''lilia''. An hour is called a ''šaia'', 5 minutes is called a ''šuša'', and a minute is called a ''pigia''. Some days are considered to be auspicious, while others are ominous (''mbaṭṭal''). The days of the week are as follows. ''Habšaba'' (Sunday) is considered to be the first day of the week.


Seasons

The four seasons are as follows, with the year starting with winter. The three months of each season, given below, are also referred to in Mandaic as the beginning, middle, or end of the season. *''sitwa'' (winter): Daula, Nuna, ʿmbra *''abhar'' (spring): Taura, Ṣilmia, Ṣarṭana *''giṭa'' (summer):
Aria In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...
, Å umbulta, Qaina *''paiz'' (autumn): Arqba, Hiá¹­ia, Gadia


Years

A Mandaean year is called a ''šidta''. The Mandaean calendar is calculated from the year that Adam was born, or approximately 443,370 BCE. Charles G. Häberl calculates the date 18 July 2019 CE corresponds to 1 '' Dowla'' 481,343 AA (AA = after the creation of Adam). The latter half of 2024 would correspond to 481,348 AA. All Mandaean years consist of exactly 365 days (12 regular months of 30 days each, plus the 5 intercalary days of the Parwanaya). Since Mandaean months do not have
leap year A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or bissextile year) is a calendar year that contains an additional day (or, in the case of a lunisolar calendar, a month) compared to a common year. The 366th day (or 13th month) is added to keep t ...
s accounted for every four years, seasons "slip back" and will not correspond to the same Gregorian months over time.


World chronology

A chronology of the world according to Book 18 of the ''
Right Ginza The Right Ginza () is one of the two parts of the Ginza Rabba, the longest and the most important holy scripture of Mandaeism. The other part of the Ginza Rabba is the Left Ginza. Summaries of each book (or tractate), based mostly on Häberl ( ...
'' is as follows. *216,001 AA – first cataclysm: destruction and pestilence *372,001 AA – second cataclysm: flame and fire *472,001 AA – third cataclysm:
flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...
*478,001 AA – founding of Jerusalem *478,401 AA – birth of
Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
(Ešu Mšiha) *479,853 AA – rise of the Arab kings *530,001 AA – green waters; final cataclysm; Bil (Jupiter) assumes the throne of Ptahil. *530,043 AA – the end of the worlds: Ur (
Leviathan Leviathan ( ; ; ) is a sea serpent demon noted in theology and mythology. It is referenced in several books of the Hebrew Bible, including Psalms, the Book of Job, the Book of Isaiah, and the pseudepigraphical Book of Enoch. Leviathan is of ...
) devours Tibil and the planets, while "splendor and light" ('' ziwa u-nhura'') are created.


Epochs

According to Book 18 of the ''
Right Ginza The Right Ginza () is one of the two parts of the Ginza Rabba, the longest and the most important holy scripture of Mandaeism. The other part of the Ginza Rabba is the Left Ginza. Summaries of each book (or tractate), based mostly on Häberl ( ...
'', there are four
epoch In chronology and periodization, an epoch or reference epoch is an instant in time chosen as the origin of a particular calendar era. The "epoch" serves as a reference point from which time is measured. The moment of epoch is usually decided b ...
s (or eras; ) of the world, which is given a duration of 480,000 years. #Epoch of Adam and Hawa: 1st generation of humans (216,000 years; 30 generations according to ''Right Ginza'' Book 1) #Epoch of Ram and Rud: 2nd generation of humans (156,000 years; 25 generations according to ''Right Ginza'' Book 1) #Epoch of Šurbai and Šarhabʿil: 3rd generation of humans (100,000 years; 15 generations according to ''Right Ginza'' Book 1) #Epoch of
Noah Noah (; , also Noach) appears as the last of the Antediluvian Patriarchs (Bible), patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5–9), the Quran and Baháʼí literature, ...
and his wife Nuraita/Nhuraita (current and final epoch): 4th generation of humans (remaining years, which would be 8,000 years if taking the 480,000 years into account)


Festivals

Mandaean festivals are: *'' Parwanaya'': Five days that Hayyi Rabbi created the angels and the universe. The 5 epagomenals (extra days) inserted at the end of every Å umbulta (the 8th month) constitute the Parwanaya intercalary feast. *'' Dehwa Daimana'' or ''Dehwa Daymaneh'' (''Dihba á¸-Yamana'', ''Dihba Daimana'', or ''Dihba Rba á¸-Daima''): Birthday of
John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...
. Children are baptized for the first time during this festival. *'' Kanshiy u-Zahly'': New Year's Eve *'' Dehwa Rabba'': New Year's Day *''
Feast of the Great Shishlam The Feast of the Great Shishlam or Dehwa d- Šišlam Rabba () or Nauruz Zūṭa (, 'Little New Year') is a Mandaean religious holiday that takes place on the 6th and 7th days of Daula, the first month of the Mandaean calendar. It is named af ...
'' () or '' Nauruz Zūṭa'' (): Little New Year, on the 6th-7th days of Daula, corresponding to Epiphany in Christianity. The Night of Power takes place on the night of the 6th day (similar to Qadr Night), during which the heavenly gates of Abatur are open to the faithful. Priests visit Mandaean households and give them myrtle wreaths to hang on their houses for the rest of the year to protect against evil. The households also donate alms to the priests. *'' Dehwa Hanina'' () or ''Dehwa Ṭurma'' (''Dihba á¸-Tirma''): the Little Feast, begins on the 18th day of Taura. This holiday commemorates the ascension of Hibil Ziwa from the underworld to the Lightworld. The feast lasts for three days. On the first day, Mandaean families visit each other and have a special breakfast of rice, yogurt, and dates. Baptisms are performed, and the dead are commemorated with lofani (ritual meals). *'' Ead Fel'' (): Crushed dates with roasted sesame seeds (''shoshma'') are eaten. *'' AbÅ« al-HarÄ«s'' () or Ashoriya (), "day of remembrance": on the 1st day of the 6th month, Sará¹­ana. Day of remembrance for the drowned people of
Noah's flood The Genesis flood narrative (chapters 6–9 of the Book of Genesis) is a Hebrew flood myth. It tells of God's decision to return the universe to its pre- creation state of watery chaos and remake it through the microcosm of Noah's ark. The B ...
. Grains and cereals are eaten as part of a special lofani. Mandaeans believe that on this day, Noah and his son Sam made the food of forgiveness of sins for the souls of those who died in the flood. The food of forgiveness consists of seven grains representing the seven days of the week, and from the grounding of these seven grains came the name Abū al-Harīs. (See Ashure or Noah's pudding.)


Example calendar

Below is an example of a calendar year for the Mandaean year 445375, which corresponds to the
Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian cale ...
years 2005–2006 or
Jewish calendar The Hebrew calendar (), also called the Jewish calendar, is a lunisolar calendar used today for Jewish religious observance and as an official calendar of Israel. It determines the dates of Jewish holidays and other rituals, such as ''yahrzeits ...
year 5766 (Gelbert 2005: 274). Fasting () is practiced on some days. Below are some Mandaean holiday dates for 2024: *March 13-17 – Parwanaya *May 17 – Dehwa Daymaneh *July 15 – Kanshiy u-Zahly *July 16 – Dehwa Rabba *October 14 – Ead Fel *October 31 – Dehwa Hanina *December 13 – Ashoriya ( Abu al-Haris) Every four years, the dates are shifted back by one day, since the Mandaean calendar lacks a
leap day A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or bissextile year) is a calendar year that contains an additional day (or, in the case of a lunisolar calendar, a month) compared to a common year. The 366th day (or 13th month) is added to kee ...
. As a result, Mandaean holiday dates for 2028 are: *March 12-16 – Parwanaya *May 16 – Dehwa Daymaneh *July 14 – Kanshiy u-Zahly *July 15 – Dehwa Rabba *October 13 – Ead Fel *October 30 – Dehwa Hanina *December 12 – Ashoriya ( Abu al-Haris)


Calendar makers

Dakhil Shooshtary, an Iranian-American Mandaean, was known for making Mandaean calendars.


See also

*
Assyrian calendar The Assyrian calendar ( ) is a solar calendar used by modern Assyrian people. History Historically and also in some sources in the modern day, Assyrians dated their calendar according to the Seleucid era ( , literally "of the Greeks"), beginnin ...
*
Babylonian calendar The Babylonian calendar was a lunisolar calendar used in Mesopotamia from around the 2nd millennium BC until the Seleucid Era ( 294 BC), and it was specifically used in Babylon from the Old Babylonian Period ( 1780s BC) until the Seleucid Era. ...
*
Iranian calendars The Iranian calendars or Iranian chronologies (, ) 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 modi ...
*
Hebrew calendar The Hebrew calendar (), also called the Jewish calendar, is a lunisolar calendar used today for Jewish religious observance and as an official calendar of Israel. It determines the dates of Jewish holidays and other rituals, such as '' yahrze ...
* Intercalary month (Egypt)


References


External links


Mandaean calendar
from the Mandaean Synod of Australia {{DEFAULTSORT:Mandaean Calendar Mandaean calendar Specific calendars Calendar eras Solar calendars Liturgical calendar