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 aweleacʿ ("superfluous").
Years in the Armenian era are usually given in Armenian numerals (written in Armenian letters) preceded by the abbreviation ԹՎ, for t’vin (թուին, meaning "in the year"). For example, ԹՎ ՌՆԾԵ, which means "the year 1455." Another prefix is Թ.Հ., standing for t’vin Hayocʿ (թուին Հայոց "in the Armenian year").[4]
Months
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 Hübschmann-Meillet-Benveniste system:
| # | Armenian | H-M Romaniz. | Meaning | Etymology/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | նաւասարդ | nawasard | new year | Avestan *nava sarəδa |
| 2 | հոռի | hoṙi | two | From Georgian ორი (ori) meaning "two" |
| 3 | սահմի | sahmi | three | From Georgian სამი (sami) meaning "three" |
| 4 | տրէ | trē | Zoroastrian Tïr | |
| 5 | քաղոց | kʿałocʿ | month of crops | From Old Armenian քաղեմ (kʿałem) meaning "to gather" from PIE *kʷl̥- |
| 6 | արաց | aracʿ | harvest-time | From Old Armenian արաց[6](aracʿ), meaning harvest time, harvest of grape/fruit |
| 7 | մեհեկան | mehekan | festival of Mithra | Iranian *mihrakān-; Zoroastrian Mitrō |
| 8 | արեգ | areg | sun month | From Old Armenian արեւ (arew) meaning "sun" from PIE *h₂rew-i- also meaning sun |
| 9 | ահեկան | ahekan | fire festival | Iranian *āhrakān-; Zoroastrian Ātarō |
| 10 | մարերի | mareri | mid-year | Avestan maiδyaīrya; Zoroastrian Dīn |
| 11 | մարգաց | margacʿ | ||
| 12 | հրոտից | hroticʿ | Pahlavi *fravartakān; Zoroastrian Spendarmat̰ | |
| 13 | աւելեաց[7] | aweleacʿ | redundant, superfluous | Epagomenal days |
Days of the month
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]
| # | Name | Armenian Text | Meaning/derivation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Areg | Արեգ | sun |
| 2 | Hrand | Հրանդ | earth mixed with fire |
| 3 | Aram | Արամ | |
| 4 | Margar | Մարգար | prophet |
| 5 | Ahrank’ | Ահրանկ | half-burned |
| 6 | Mazdeł | ||
| 7 | Astłik | Աստղիկ | Astłik |
| 8 | Mihr | Միհր | Mihr (Armenian deity) |
| 9 | Jopaber | tumultuous | |
| 10 | Murç | Մուրց | triumph |
| 11 | Erezhan | hermit | |
| 12 | Ani | Անի | name of a city |
| 13 | Parkhar | ||
| 14 | Vanat | Վանատ | host, refectioner of a monastery |
| 15 | Aramazd | Արամազդ | Aramazd |
| 16 | Mani | Մանի | beginning |
| 17 | Asak | Ասակ | beginningless |
| 18 | Masis | Մասիս | Mount Ararat |
| 19 | Anahit | Անահիտ | Anahit (Armenian goddess) |
| 20 | Aragats | Արագած | Mount Aragats |
| 21 | Gorgor | Name of a mountain | |
| 22 | Kordvik | 6th province in Armenia Major | |
| 23 | Tsmak | Ծմակ | east wind |
| 24 | Lusnak | Լուսնակ | half-moon |
| 25 | Tsrōn | dispersion | |
| 26 | Npat | Նպատ | Apam Napat |
| 27 | Vahagn | Վահագն | Zoroastrian Vahrām; Avestan Verethragna, name of the 20th day |
| 28 | Sim | Սիմ | mountain |
| 29 | Varag | Վարագ | name of a mountain |
| 30 | Gišeravar | evening star |
Holidays
Per Armenian law, 12 days are declared as non-working days. Non-working days include:
| Date | English Name | Local Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-2 January | New Year's Day | Ամանոր | Tradition |
| 6 January | Christmas Day | Սուրբ Ծնունդ | Based on the calendar used in Armenian Apostolic Church |
| 28 January | Army Day | Բանակի օր | In celebration of Armenian Army formation on that day in 1992 |
| 8 March | Women's Day | Կանանց տոն | Women's Day |
| 24 April | Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day | Եղեռնի զոհերի հիշատակի օր | Remembrance of victims of Armenian genocide in 1915 |
| 1 May | Labour Day | Աշխատանքի օր | International Workers' Day |
| 9 May | Victory and Peace Day | Հաղթանակի եւ Խաղաղության տոն | Shushi Liberation Day - on May 8, 1992 Armenian forces freed the city from Azerbaijani military forces, marking an important milestone in Artsakh liberation war for Armenians. Victory Day : 9 May (World War II) was a holiday throughout the USSR and is still an official holiday in Armenia. |
| 28 May | Republic Day | Հանրապետության օր | Establishment of the Democratic Republic of Armenia in 1918 |
| 5 July | Constitution Day | Սահմանադրության օր | Adopted in 1995 |
| 21 September | Independence Day | Անկախության օր | Independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 |
| 31 December | New Year's Eve | Ամանոր |
See also
References
External links
- The Haik calendar (Origin of the Armenian calendar).
- Armenian/Gregorian date converter
Literature
- V. Bănăţeanu, "Le calendrier arménien et les anciens noms des mois", in: Studia et Acta Orientalia 10, 1980, pp. 33–46
- Edouard Dulaurier, Recherches sur la chronologie arménienne 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 šromebi ("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.