Armenian calendar

The Armenian calendar is the calendar traditionally used in Armenia.

The older Armenian calendar was based on an invariant year length of 365 days. As a result, the correspondence between it 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 2010/2011) completed the first full cycle.

Armenian year 1 began on 11 July 552 of the Julian calendar, and Armenian year 1462 began on 11 July 2012 of the Julian calendar which coincided with 24 July 2012 of the Gregorian calendar.

An analytical expression of the Armenian date includes ancient name of Day of week, Christian name of Day of week, named Day of month, Date, Month, Year number after 552 A.D. and the religious feasts.

The Armenian calendar is divided into 12 months of 30 days each, plus an additional (epagomenal) five days are called aweleacʿ ("superfluous"). Years are usually given in Armenian numerals, letters of the Armenian alphabet preceded by the abbreviation ԹՎ for t’vin "in the year" (for example, ԹՎ ՌՆԾԵ "in the year 1455"). One may observe the real start date in future centuries in a Gregorian to Armenian Date Converter.

Months

The Armenian month names show influence of the Zoroastrian calendar, and, as noted by Antoine Meillet, Kartvelian influence in two cases. There are different systems for transliterating the names; the forms below are transliterated according to the Hübschmann-Meillet-Benveniste system.

Months of the year

#	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		From old armenian արաց(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	aweleacʿ	redundant, superfluous	Epagomenal days

Days of the month

The Armenian calendar names the days of the month instead of numbering them – a peculiarity also found in the Avestan calendars. Zoroastrian influence is evident in five names.

Days of the month

#	Name	Meaning/derivation
1	Areg	sun
2	Hrand	earth mixed with fire
3	Aram
4	Margar	prophet
5	Ahrank’	half-burned
6	Mazdeł
7	Astłik	Venus
8	Mihr	Mithra
9	Jopaber	tumultuous
10	Murç	triumph
11	Erezhan	hermit
12	Ani	name of a city
13	Parkhar
14	Vanat	host, refectioner of a monastery
15	Aramazd	Ahura Mazda
16	Mani	beginning
17	Asak	beginningless
18	Masis	Mount Ararat
19	Anahit	Anahita
20	Aragats	Mount Aragats
21	Gorgor	name of a mountain
22	Kordvik	6th province in Armenia Major
23	Tsmak	east wind
24	Lusnak	half-moon
25	Tsrōn	dispersion
26	Npat	Apam Napat
27	Vahagn	Zoroastrian Vahrām; Avestan Verethragna, name of the 20th day
28	Sim	mountain
29	Varag	name of a mountain
30	Gišeravar	evening star

See also

• Armenian numerals
• Calendar of Saints (Armenian Apostolic Church)
• Zoroastrian calendar
• Caspian calendar
• Iranian calendar
• hy:Հայկյան տոմար

External links

• Armenian calendar - Navasard August 11th (Hayk calendar)

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][2]
• 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.