Kurdish calendar The Kurdish calendar starts at 612 BC. This
was the year that Cyaxares, the grandson of Deioces (Díyako), the first king of
the Medes' empire, occupied Nineveh and put the end to the brutality of the
Assyrian Empire in the lands under its occupation. Although the ancient Greek
historian Herodotus credits "Deioces son of Phraortes“(probably 715 BC) with
the creation of the Median kingdom and the founding of its capital city at
Ecbatana (modern Hamadan), it was probably not before 625 BC that Cyaxares
succeeded in uniting the many Median tribes into a single kingdom. In 614 BC,
he captured Ashur, and in 612, in alliance with Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, his
forces stormed Nineveh, putting an end to the Assyrian Empire. Evidence of the
area's prior history indicates that the Middle East in general had been one of
the earliest areas to experience what the Australian archaeologist V. Gordon
Childe called the Neolithic Revolution. That revolution witnessed the
development of settled, village-based agricultural life. Kurdistan (Western
Iran) has yielded much evidence on the history of these important developments.
In the early Neolithic (sometimes called the Mesolithic) period, evidence of
significant shifts in tool making, settlement patterns, and subsistence living
-- including nascent domestication of both plants and animals -- comes from
such important Kurdish sites as Asiab (Asíyaw), Guran, Ganj-e Dareh (Genjí
Dara), and Ali Khosh (Elí xosh). Similar developments in the Zagros are also
traceable at sites such as Karim Shahir and Zawi Chemi-Shanidar. This early
experimentation with sedentary life and domestication was soon followed by a
period of fully developed village farming, as is evident at important Zagros
sites such as Jarmo, Sarab, upper Ali Kosh, and upper Guran. All of these sites
date wholly or in part to the 8th and 7th millennia BC. The transition from food-gathering
to food-production began within the natural territorial ranges of the early
domesticates' wild ancestors, in the general area of the Zagros Mountains.
Additionally, the present evidence strongly points to the foothill valleys
along the Kurdish mountain chains (with a spur stretching into Samaria) as
being the main geographic setting of this transition. Agriculture necessitated
domestication of flora and fauna. Earlier forms of modern-day wheat, barley,
rye, oats, peas, lentils, alfalfa, and grapes were first domesticated by the
ancestors of the Kurds shortly before the 9th millennium BC. Wild species of
most common cereals and legumes still grow as weeds in the Zagros and eastern
Taurus Mountains, and to a lesser degree in the Amanus Mountains. By this time,
such a historical agricultural society had developed forms of celebration and
religious belief closely related to their way of life. Many names that today
remain in the modern Kurdish calendar are derived from festivals, annual
natural events, and from tasks usually performed in the given month, according
to local needs. Some ancient Kurdish religious calendars begin with major
religious events. For instance, the Soltani calendar of the Yaresan has the
birthday of Soltan Sahak in AD1294 as its starting year. Calendars may also
begin in AD 380, the year that marks the fall of the last Kurdish kingdom of
the classical era, the House of Kayus (or the Kâvusakân dynasty). An enigmatic
seven extra years are added, which may be connected to the veneration with
which the number is held in native Kurdish religions and would be the time
needed for the reincarnation of the souls of departed leaders. In this system,
AD 2000 is the year 1613. This calendar has been variously called Kurdi
(Kurdish) or Mây'I (Median). The Calendar The Ancient and religious calendar
system in the Near East and the Middle East was a lunisolar calendar, in which
months are lunar but years are solar, i.e., they are brought into line with the
course of the Sun. This was used in the early civilizations of the entire
Middle East, except in Egypt and Greece. The formula was probably invented in
Mesopotamia in the 3rd millennium BC. Study of cuneiform tablets found in this
region facilitates tracing the development of time reckoning back to the 27th
century BC, around the time that writing was invented. The evidence shows that
the calendar is a contrivance for dividing the flow of time into units that
suit society's current needs. Though calendar makers put to use time signs
offered by nature--the Moon's phases, for example--they rearranged reality to
make it fit society's constructions. In Zagros and Mesopotamia the solar year
was divided into two seasons, the "summer," which included the barley
harvest in the second half of May or in the beginning of June, and the
"winter," which roughly corresponded to today's fall-winter. Three
seasons (Assyria) and four seasons (Anatolia) were counted in northerly
countries, but in Zagros and Mesopotamia the bipartition of the year seemed natural.
As late as 1800 BC, the prognoses for the welfare of the city of Mari, on the
middle Euphrates, were taken for six months at a time. The Proto-Kurdish names
for bipartition of the year still remain in the Kurdish language, passed down
from the ancient Kurds who lived in Zagros. Summer (Tawistan) (seven months),
or the land of lightness or the land of the sunshine, and winter (Zimistan)
(five months), or the land of the coldness. Various Kurdish dialects also call
Tawistan "Tawsan, Hawín, Hamin and Tawsu," words that are based on
"Taw" (light or sunbeam), the connective "i", and
"stan" (state as in a place or state as in state of being). This
suffix is used quite often in the Kurdish language to create compound words
like "Kurdistan," the land of Kurds. Zimistan or "Zimsan,
Zistan, Zisan, Zimistu, Zimsu, Zimstun" is made of "Zim" (cold),
the connective "i", and the suffix "stan." Today the
Kurdish solar system calendar is normally 365 days with the remaining natural
few hours being marked by a leap year every fourth year. It starts with exact
first day of spring according to the Gregorian calendar (March 20 or 21). Like
the Gregorian system, the Kurdish calendar divides the year into four seasons:
Buhar, Tawistan or Hawín, Payiz and Zimistan. It divides the year into 12
months, each month into four weeks and every week into seven days. In the
Kurdish calendar the first six months (comprising spring and summer) are each
31 days long, while the next five months (in fall and winter) are 30 days each.
The last winter month, the 12th month in the annual calendar, is normally 29
days but 30 in the leap years. The months coincide with the 12 zodiac signs,
i.e., the first month is identical with the duration of Aries, the second with
Taurus, the third with Gemini, and so on. The Kurdish Months The Kurdish names
for each month were designated depending on the geographical division and the
lifestyle of specific Kurdish tribes. The name for a former tribe might be
different from a nomadic or agricultural tribe in Kurdistan. Remarkable
similarity exists between the names of these months, which put the natural
events at the center of choice for the certain name. For ex.
"Gelawéjh" (ca. 23 July – 23 Aug), the second month of summer, is the
Kurdish name of a star, which appears at this time of the year in the sky above
Kurdistan. In northern areas of Kurdistan, the ban on Kurdish cultural and
language education has diminished the significance of the role that Kurdish
names of the months play in the daily lives of Kurds. Military actions forced
many civilian Kurds to lose their land and property in rural areas and move to
cities, a process that causes people to break ties with their generations' long
traditional lifestyles. In the case of Kurdistan, where the practice of
"Kurdishness" is itself considered a crime, it is clear that the
Kurdish farmer, nomad, and agriculturist who moved to major cities has not
found it necessary to maintain the tradition of his ancient Kurdish calendar.
The Kurdish calendar that is used today in the northern part of Kurdistan is a
combination of non-Kurdish names of the months—taken mainly from the Babylonian
calendar--and Kurdish names, or in some cases non-Kurdish names that have been
transformed. This solution has made the names more acceptable among Kurds, for
example in the case of Shabatu, which has become Shevba (the windy nights) in
Badínaní, or Nisanu, which has become Nîskan or Adar has become Avdar. The
influence of the Babylonian calendar was seen in many continued customs and
usages of its neighbor and vassal states long after the Babylonian Empire had
been succeeded by others. In particular, the Hebrew calendar in use at
relatively late dates employed similar systems of intercalation of months,
month names, and other details. The Jewish adoption of Babylonian calendar
customs dates from the period of the Babylonian Exile in the 6th century BC.
The Babylonian month names were Nisanu, Ayaru, Simanu, Du'uzu, Abu, Ululu,
Tashritu, Arakhsamna, Kislimu, Tebetu, Shabatu, Adaru. The month Adaru II was intercalated
six times within the 19-year cycle but never in the year that was 17th of the
cycle, when Ululu II was inserted. Thus, the Babylonian calendar until the end
preserved a vestige of the original bipartition of the natural year into two
seasons, just as the Babylonian months to the end remained truly lunar and
began when the New Moon was first visible in the evening. The day began at
sunset. Sundials and water clocks served to count hours. Variety of Kurdish
names for each month.
A Standard Calendar
It is proposed that the standard Kurdish calendar. Should start at 612 BC or the taking of Nineveh by the Medes. According to this if we use the Gregorian calendar as a reference for our calculation then we realize that the simple equation will give us the correct Kurdish year on the 20th or 21 March depending on the Gregorian year; like:
1+ (2009 + 611) = 2621 on the March 20th 2009.
We should realize that the Gregorian calendar has no year 0. The year 1 AD (or 1 CE) was proceeded by the year 1 BC (or 1 BCE). Because this is so awkward for evaluating time periods that include 1 BCE to 1 CE, astronomers sometimes use a different form, employing negative dates and zero. For them it is not confusing: a "-" year or a zero year is always interpreted according to the astronomical reckoning, and a year recorded as BC (or BCE) is always interpreted according to the historians' reckoning. Year 0 is 1 BC, year -1 is 2 BC etc. Then we just simply say -612 BC as the starting year while we are using Georgian calendar as references, we practically are using a nomenclature that adheres to neither standard.
We assume that the Kurdish calendar starts on March 20 in 612 BCE (year -611 in the astronomers' style), starting with the Kurdish year 1 (the practice of counting from a year 0 generally seems restricted to astronomers). The Gregorian date March 20, 612 BCE would be close to the vernal equinox, and an event shortly after this would be in Kurdish year 1. An event during the summer of 2004 CE would be a bit more than 2004+611 years later, or 1+(2004+611) = year 2616 of the Kurdish calendar. Today, in 2004 CE, before the vernal equinox of 2004, it would be year 2615 of the Kurdish calendar. Furthermore, if we chose instead to start the Kurdish calendar count with year 0 for the year starting March 20, 612 BCE, today it would be year 2614 in the Kurdish calendar. We should bare in mind that if the Kurdish year is defined by the date of the true vernal equinox (in Kurdistan), it will divergence from the Gregorian calendar, amounting to about 19 hours over 2615 years.
Jejhnan - Jejhnan is the first month of spring. It is 31
days long and normally is from March 20 or 21 to 20 April. This the month of
celebration and happiness, Newroz is the first day of this month. There are
several annual agricultural ceremonies that take place in this month. Gullan -
Gullan is the second month of spring. It is 31 days long and normally is from
April 20 to 21 May. During this month, yellow and red flowers color the
mountain and landscape of Kurdistan. Shepherds take their animals to the mountains
for grazing. Gardeners and agriculturists have a busy month and the Kurdish
nomads start their annual movement. In Hewraman Kurds celebrate the "Píri
Shalyar" days from 11th to 15th Gulan. Zerdan - Zerdan means yellow and is
the third month of spring, when the seeds turn to yellow to make the landscape
look like a huge yellow carpet. This month is 31 days long and normally is from
May 21 to June 22. Púshperr - Púshperr is the first month of summer. It is 31
days long and normally is from June 21 to July 22. The dry air and warm days
dry up many natural greens and harvest. The agriculture communities start
cutting their harvest for the year. Gelawéjh - Gelawéjh is the second month of
summer. The star of the same name will appear at this time and the weather
conditions will change toward cooler nights. This month is 31 days long and
normally is from July 23 to August 23. Xermanan - Xermanan is the third month
of Summer. The agricultural community collects the cut harvest and brings to
the village. This month is 31 days long and normally is from August 23 to
September 23. Beran - Beran is the first month of fall. Many different fruits
come to market and grapes become ripe. Leaves turn orange and yellow. The fall
celebration is also in this month. The sheep at the farm will mate. This month
is 30 days long and normally is from September 23 to October 24. Xezan - Xezan
is the second month of fall. Leaves fall off trees and gardeners prepare for
the winter. This month is 30 days long and normally is from October 24 to
November 22. Saran - Saran is the third month of fall. The season of cold
weather starts at this month. The follower of the ancient Kurdish religion
"Yaresan" celebrates a holy day "Rújhi Xawinkar" at 9th
Saran. This month is 30 days long and normally is from November 22 to December
22. Befran - Befran is the first month of winter in the Kurdish year. Starts
with the longest night of the year and winter celebrations. Long nights mean
less work in the field, giving the elderly the chance to pass their life
experiences onto next generation by telling tales and singing. In the colder
part of Kurdistan snow will make the landscape white and in the warmer areas
the rain falls during the day. This month is 30 days long and normally is from
December 22 to January 20. Rébendan - Rébandan is the second months of winter
in the Kurdish year. The winter road for the nomads will be closed by heavy
snow. This month is 30 days long and normally is from January 20 to February
19. Reshemé - Reshemé is the third month of winter in the Kurdish year. The sky
will often be filled with dark clouds and the rainy season for spring will
start. This month is 29 days long (depending on the leap year) and normally is
from February 19 to March 20. The Kurdish days of the week As with the months
of the year, a variety of names exist for each day of the week; although
different Kurdish groups throughout Kurdistan follow the same principal
structure for the "Kurdish days of the week". The Kurdish name for
the first day of the week Sheme (Saturday) is in fact descended from Akkadian
word Shabattu (In Sumerian Shabbât, Arabic Sabbath, Pahlavic Shunbat, Persian
Shambed; Shamba; Shanbeh, even transferred to Greek as Sabbaton, German
Samstag, Italian sabato, Spanish sábado, French Samedi). The Akkadian called
the 15th day of the month, the day a full moon appears, Shabbattu. The question
still remains why such an adoption has been made for Kurdish and Persian days
of the week. It has been documented that the Babylonian calendar preserved a
vestige of the original bipartition of the natural year into two seasons, just
as the Babylonian months to the end remained truly lunar and began when the New
Moon (a Shabattu) was first visible in the evening. The day began at sunset.
From a New Moon (a Shabattu) up to the next New full Moon each day were named
by a digit like one-Shabattu, two- Shabattu, three-Shabattu and so on. The
seven-day week also originated in ancient Mesopotamia and became part of the
Roman calendar in 321 BC. At about the time of the conquest of Babylonia in 539
BC, the kings of Persia made the Babylonian cyclic calendar standard throughout
the Persian Empire, which at the time comprised Kurdistan as well. The
Seleucids, and afterwards the Parthian, rulers of Iran maintained the
Babylonian calendar. The fiscal administration in northern Iran, from the 1st
century BC, at least, used Zoroastrian month and day names in documents in
Pahlavi (the Iranian language of Sasanian Persia). It became official under the
Sasanian dynasty, from about AD. 226 until the Arab conquest in AD 621. The
Arabs introduced the Muslim lunar year, but the Persians continued to use the
Sasanian solar year, which in 1079 was made equal to the Julian year by the
introduction of the leap year. Probably under the same circumstances, the Kurds
learned to use the same abductions for the days of a week. The first Kurdish
day of the week Sheme, gets a digit prefix to mark the first, second, third,
fourth and fifth day after first day of week. The last day of the week is Héní
or Júme (Friday) which is a free day of work for many cultures in Mideast. Héní
(none relax) make a best explanation for the last free day of the week in
Kurdish. Júme, Jivín, Jemín and Jemu (gathering or jamboree) which is Avestay
world Jem that have survived in Iran languages. For more efficiency on using
the Kurdish name for the days of a week on Internet these abbreviations are
suggested as Sh (Shem.), Ye (Yekshem.), Du (Dushem.), Sé (Sékshem.), Ca
(Cakshem.), Pé (Pékshem.), and Ín. Kurdish Names of weeksday
References
1. Archeology section of KURDISTANICA - Encyclopedia of Kurdistan
2. The comparison table of variety Kurdish names for each month
3. Interview with older Kurds from Southern Kurdistan in Exile.
4. Kurdish-Persian Dictionary, A. Sharafqhandi "He jar Tehran, Iran. 1991.
5. Kermanshah an, and Its Ancient Civilization. Iraq Afshar. Tehran 1992.
6. Historical Geography and Comprehensive history of Kermanshah an, M. ali Soltani. Vol. 2, Tehran. 1993.
7. The Kurdish calendar published by Sérwe the Kurdish Cultural Journal, Wirmí 1995.
8. The Kurds: A Concise Handbook, Prof. Mehrdad R. Izady, Harvard University 1992.
9. Interview with older Kurds from Northern Kurdistan in Exile.
10. The Kurdish calendar published by PSK (Socialist party of Kurdistan) for year 2000 in Sweden.
11. Kurdish traditional calendar, Abdula Ayobiyan, Tabriz University of Literature publication, Vol.16, No2, 1964.
12. Newroz in Kurdistan, Mostafa Kaywan, and Tehran 1970.
13. Borhan-i Qateh, Mohammad Moein. Tehran 1342, III, p. 1300, footnote one.
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