- published: 07 Mar 2013
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The Assyrian calendar is a lunar-based calendar that begins in the year 4750 BC, inspired by an estimate of the date of the first temple at Assur, notably based on a series of articles published in the Assyrian magazine Gilgamesh, edited by the brothers Addi and Jean Alkhas and Nimrod Simono. The year begins with the first sight of Spring. The Assyrian new year is still celebrated every year with festivals and gatherings. As of April 1, 2012, it is the Assyrian year of 6762.
The intercalary month, added when the new moon following Adaar predates vernal equinox, is called Ve-Adad.
The Assyrian flag is the flag chosen by the Assyrian people to represent the Assyrian nation in the homeland and in the diaspora.
George Bit Atanus first designed the flag in 1968. The Assyrian Universal Alliance, Assyrian National Federation and Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party all adopted it in 1971. The flag has a white background with a golden circle at the center, surrounded by a four-pointed star in blue. Four triple-coloured (red-white-blue), widening, wavy stripes connect the center to the four corners of the flag. The Bet-Nahrain party added[citation needed] the figure of pre-Christian Assyrian god, Assur known from Iron Age iconography in red above the center.
The golden circle at the center that represents the sun, which, by its exploding and leaping flames, generates heat and light to sustain the earth and all its living things. The four pointed star surrounding the sun symbolizes the land, its light blue color symbolizing tranquility.
The wavy stripes extending from the center to the four corners of the flag represent the three major rivers of the Assyrian homeland: the Tigris, the Euphrates, and the Great Zab. The lines are small at the center and become wider as they spread out from the circle. The dark blue represents the Euphrates. The red stripes, whose blood red hue stands for courage, glory and pride, represent the Tigris. The white lines in between the two great rivers symbolizes the Great Zab; its white color stands for tranquility and peace. Some interpret the red, white and blue stripes as the highways that will take the scattered Assyrians back to their ancestral homeland. It is also said that when the stripes are reversed with the red stripes on top and the blue stripes on bottom, it symbolizes that the nation is at war.[dubious – discuss]