Tobi (, ''Tōbi''), also known as Tybi (, ''Tybí'') and Tubah. (), is the fifth month of the ancient Egyptian and

Coptic calendar The Coptic calendar, also called the Alexandrian calendar, is a liturgical calendar used by the farming populace in Egypt and used by the Coptic Orthodox and Coptic Catholic churches. It was used for fiscal purposes in Egypt until the adoptio ...

s. It lies between

January 9 Events Pre-1600 * 681 – Twelfth Council of Toledo: King Erwig of the Visigoths initiates a council in which he implements diverse measures against the Jews in Spain. * 1038 – An earthquake in Dingxiang, China kills an estimate ...

and

February 7 Events Pre-1600 * 457 – Leo I becomes the Eastern Roman emperor. * 987 – Bardas Phokas the Younger and Bardas Skleros, Byzantine generals of the military elite, begin a wide-scale rebellion against Emperor Basil II. * 1301 & ...

of 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 ...

. The month of Tobi is also the first month of the season of Proyet (Growth and Emergence) in Ancient Egypt, where the

Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...

floods recede and the crops start to grow throughout the land of

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

Name

The name of the month of Tobi comes from Amso Khem, a form of the Ancient Egyptian God

Amun Amun was a major ancient Egyptian deity who appears as a member of the Hermopolitan Ogdoad. Amun was attested from the Old Kingdom together with his wife Amunet. His oracle in Siwa Oasis, located in Western Egypt near the Libyan Desert, r ...

Ra.

Description

Toubeh, (the ancient Tobi) : the 5th Coptic month. Corn and flax should be cleared from weeds, and land that is to be devoted to cotton, sesame, and summer cucurbita, is prepared until the 1st of Amshir. Land destined for the growth of culcas (
colocasia ''Colocasia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Some species are widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical and subtropical regions. The names elephant-ear and ...
), and sugar, should be inundated. Lands found to be uncultivable should be marked out and declared unproductive, in order that they may be exempt from taxation. The first cutting of sugar cane takes place (hasab er-rcis) -. sufficient being left for seed, viz : — one kirat in every feddan. At the end of the month work in canals and dykes should be taken in hand : and much care should be bestowed upon the repairing of sakhiehs ( water wheels), wells, &c. The Nile water is in its clearest and best state in Toubeh, and cisterns should be now filled in Cairo and all large towns. The flesh of sheep is better now than at any other season. Vegetables, especially carrots, are at their best. Horses and mules should be tethered in bersim, and it is now time for the sale of cattle. S. winds (Siba) are more prevalent than N. (Dabour). Taxes are now collected. There are various popular sayings respecting Toubeh, — e. g. that if rain falls on any of the first eleven days, but especially on the Festival of the Epiphany, it is a certain sign of good crops. The fellah says " Yfra en Nusrani" (the Christian is happy ) and asserts that God is contented with his people, and will reward them with a bounteous harvest.El-Makrizi

Coptic Synaxarium of the month of Tobi

References

Citations

Bibliography