The intercalary month or epagomenal days[1] of the ancient Egyptian, Coptic, and Ethiopian calendars are a period of five days in common years and six days in leap years in addition to those calendars' 12 standard months, sometimes reckoned as their thirteenth month. They originated as a periodic measure to ensure that the heliacal rising of Sirius would occur in the 12th month of the Egyptian lunar calendar but became a regular feature of the civil calendar and its descendants. Coptic and Ethiopian leap days occur in the year preceding Julian and Gregorian leap years.
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Why Does February Only Have 28 Days?
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[MUSIC] Although February 2015 might fit perfectly on the page, every year it’s the runt of the monthly litter. This deficit of days, this calendar craziness, this oddity of the annum, like so much of modern culture, is the Romans’ fault. Here’s the crazy story of why February has 28 days… except when it doesn’t. [MUSIC] Romulus, the maybe-mythical, maybe-real founder and first king of Rome, had a problem. With an increasing number of festivals, feasts, military ceremonies, and religious celebrations to keep track of, Romans needed a calendar to organize all of them. Ancient astronomers already had accurate calculations for the time between two solar equinoxes or solstices, but nature had given people a nice, easy pie chart in the sky to track the passage of time, so early Rome, like many other cultures, worked off a lunar calendar. The calendar of the Romulan republic had ten months of either 30 or 31 days, beginning in March and ending in December, and we can still see traces of that calendar today. Problem was, that year was a few days short of four seasons. Romans were too busy not dying during winter to count those 61 and a quarter extra days… they’d just start the next year on the new moon before the spring equinox. It’s actually not a bad system, as long as you don’t have to figure out what day it is between December and March. So the second king of Rome, Numa Pompilius, tried something else. Even numbers were bad luck in Ancient Rome, so Numa started by removing a day from all the even-numbered months. And being loony for Luna, Numa wanted his calendar to cover 12 cycles of the moon, but that would have been an even number, so he rounded his year up to 355. Numa split the remaining days into two months and tacked them on to the end of the year. And that’s how February got 28 days. Yes, it’s an even number, but since the month was dedicated to spiritual purification, Romans let that one slide. But, as powerful as Rome may have been, they couldn’t change the rules of the universe, and neither of these calendars add up anywhere close to the time it takes us to orbit the sun. After a few years, the seasons are out of whack with the months, dogs and cats, living together, mass hysteria!! Did we already use that joke? This is where it gets even weirder. See, February was actually split in two parts. The first 23 days and… the rest. Every year, Numa’s superstitious calendar would be out of line with the seasons by a little more than 10 days. So every other year, the last few days of February were ignored and a 27-day leap month was added after February 23rd or 24th. This way every four years would average out to 366 and a quarter days… which is still too many days, but hey, we’re getting there. Confused? You should be. Numa! This system could have worked, every 19 years, lunar and solar calendars tend to line up, so add enough leap months to keep the seasons in order and eventually everything will reset itself. Except these leap months weren’t always added according to plan. Politicians would ask for leap months to extend their terms, or “forget” them to get their opponents out of office. And if Rome was at war, sometimes the leap month would be forgotten for years, and by the time Julius Caesar came to power, things had gotten pretty confusing. Caesar had spent a lot of time in Egypt, where 365-day calendars were all the rage, so in 46 BC, he flushed Rome’s lunar calendar down the aqueduct and installed a solar calendar. January and February had already been moved to the beginning of the year, and Caesar added 10 days to different months to get a total of 365. And since a tropical year is a tad longer than 365 days, Julius added a leap day every four years, except they inserted it after February 23, right in the middle of the month. Apparently February is the trash heap of the calendar, just do whatever feels good. For all their work to reform the calendar and other stuff they did, the 7th and 8th months of the year were renamed for Julius and his successor Augustus Caesar, despite the fact that Pope Gregory would have to adjust it again in 1500 years. But that’s a story for a different day. Or month. I don’t even know anymore. Stay curious.
Names
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| Those upon the Year[2][a] Ḥryw Rnpt[3] in hieroglyphs | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| The Five upon the Year[2][b] 5 Ḥryw Rnpt[3] in hieroglyphs | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The English names "intercalary month" and "epagomenal days" derive from Latin intercalārius ("proclaimed between")[4] and Greek epagómenoi (ἐπαγόμενοι)[5] or epagómenai (ἐπαγόμεναι, "brought in" or "added on"),[6] Latinized as epagomenae. The period is also sometimes known as the "monthless days".[7]
In ancient Egypt, the period was known as the "Five Days upon the Year" (Ancient Egyptian: Hrw 5 Ḥry Rnpt),[8] the "Five Days" (Hrw 5)[8] or "Those upon the Year" (Ḥryw Rnpt), the last of which is transliterated as Heriu Renpet.[9] Parker also proposed that in some cases the intercalary month was known by the name Thoth (Ḏḥwtyt) after the festival that gave its name to the following month.[10]
In modern Egypt, the period is known as Kouji Nabot[5] or Pi Kogi Enavot[11] (Coptic: Ⲡⲓⲕⲟⲩϫⲓ ⲛ̀ⲁⲃⲟⲧ, Pikouji n'Abot, lit. "The Little Month") and Al-Nasi (Egyptian Arabic: النسيء, en-Nasiʾ, lit. "The Postponement"), after Nasi' of the Pre-Islamic calendar. The Arabic name is also romanized as Nasie.[11]
In Ethiopia, the period is known as Paguemain,[12] Phagumien (Amharic: ጳጐሜን, Ṗagʷəmen),[13] Pagume,[14] or Pagumay[15] (ጳጉሜ, Ṗagume).
Egyptian calendars
Ancient
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| Birth of Osiris Mswt Wsı͗r Ḥb[3] in hieroglyphs | |||||||
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| Birth of Horus[c] Mswt Ḥr in hieroglyphs | ||||||
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| Birth of Set Mswt Stẖ[3] in hieroglyphs | |||||||||
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| Birth of Isis Mswt Ꜣst Ḥb[3] in hieroglyphs | ||||
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| Birth of Nephthys Sw n Mswt Nbt Ḥwt[3] in hieroglyphs | ||||||||
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Until the 4th century BC, the beginnings of the months of the lunar calendar were based on observation,[16] beginning at dawn on the morning when a waning crescent moon could no longer be seen.[17] The intercalary month was added every two or three years as needed to maintain the heliacal rising of Sirius within the fourth month of the season of Low Water.[18] This month may have had as many as 30 days.[19] According to the civil calendar, the months fell in order with the rest regardless of the state of the moon. They always consisted of 30 days, each individually named and devoted to a particular patron deity, but the year was always followed by an intercalary month of only five days. Owing to the lack of a leap day, the calendar slowly cycled relative to the solar year and Gregorian date until the Ptolemaic and Roman eras.
The period of the intercalary month was considered spiritually dangerous[20] and the pharaoh performed a ritual known as "Pacifying Sekhmet" (Sḥtp Sḫmt) to protect himself and the world[21] from that god's plague.[8] The period seems to have usually been a time of rest, placed between the New Year's Eve celebrations on 30 Wep Renpet and the New Year's celebrations beginning on 1 Thoth.[22] Scribes sometimes omitted the entire period from their records of the year.[23] Torches were carried[24] and apotropaic charms were drawn on linen and worn around the neck.[8]
The period was known as the "birthdays of the gods" as early as the Pyramid Texts.[25] By the early Middle Kingdom, the days were specified and ordered:[25]
- The first day was the Birth of Osiris (Mswt Wsı͗r).[26] It was also originally known as the "Pure Bull in His Field"[27] (Ngꜣ Wꜥb m Sḫt.f.), although that aspect of the intercalary festivities was later moved to the second day as Horus grew in importance.[28]
- The second was the Birth of Horus (Mswt Ḥr).[26]
- The third was the Birth of Set (Mswt Stẖ).[26]
- The fourth was the Birth of Isis (Mswt Ꜣst or Mswt n Ꜣst).[26]
- The last day was the Birth of Nephthys (Mswt Nbt-Ḥwt).[29] It was originally the most important, heralding in the New Year's festival and celebrating a "child in his nest" (ḥwn ı͗my sš.f),[20] but these aspects shifted to the fourth night in the Ptolemaic and Roman period owing to the greater importance of Isis and her longstanding connection with the star Sirius.[30]
Throughout the days, their connections to the solar boat of Ra, fish, and a "creator of terror" (ı͗r ḥrywt) were also stressed.[31] In all but a handful of texts, however, the days are merely numbered as "Day ~ of the Five Days upon the Year".[32]
Ptolemy III's Canopus Decree was an attempted calendrical reform in 239 BC which would have inserted a sixth day into the intercalary month, but it was abandoned due to the hostility of the priests[33] and people of Egypt. The leap day was finally established by Augustus in 30, 26,[34] or 25 BC.[33] Under this "Alexandrian calendar", the epagomenal days ran from Julian 24 August to 28 August in common years and to 29 August in leap years.[34][d]
Coptic
In the present-day Coptic calendar, the intercalary month remains the same as the Alexandrian dates in the Julian calendar. In terms of the Gregorian calendar, it has begun on 6 September[1] and ended on 10 September in common years and 11 September in leap years since AD 1900 (AM 1616)[35] and will continue to do so until AD 2100 (AM 1816).[36] In that year, the Gregorian calendar's lack of a leap day will cause the Coptic month to advance another day relative to it[37] and it will run from 7 September to 11 September. Coptic leap years are not computed as divisors of four in that calendar's Diocletian era but occur in the year prior to the Gregorian leap year.[e]
The Coptic liturgical calendar of the month consists of:[11]
| Coptic | Julian | Gregorian | Commemorations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intercalary
1 |
24 August | 6 September |
|
| 2 | 25 August | 7 September |
|
| 3 | 26 August | 8 September |
|
| 4 | 27 August | 9 September |
|
| 5 | 28 August | 10 September |
|
| only in years before Julian leap years | |||
| (6) | (29 August) | (11 September) |
|
Ethiopian calendar
In the present-day Ethiopian calendar, Paguemain or Pagume is identical to the Coptic intercalary month, beginning on 6 September and ending on 10 September in common years and 11 September in leap years.[14] Its leap years occur at the same time[40][13] and its dates will also shift forward one day relative to the Gregorian calendar in AD 2100[15] (2092 EC).[41]
The unusual calendar is notably used in Ethiopian tourist information to advertise the country's "thirteen months of sunshine".[14][12]
Mandaean calendar
The Mandaean calendar consisting of 12 30-day months, with 5 epagomenals inserted at the end of every 8th month (Mandaic: Šumbulta). These 5 extra days constitute the Parwanaya (or Panja) festival in the Mandaean calendar.[42]
See also
- Egyptian, Coptic, and Ethiopian calendars
- Babylonian, Zoroastrian, and Armenian calendars
- Persian and Hebrew calendars
- Islamic calendar
- Sansculottides
Notes
- ^ Alternative representations of Those upon the Year include
.[3]
- ^ Alternative representations of the Five upon the Year include
.[3] 
- ^ For variant hieroglyphic representations of this god, see Horus.
- ^ For a chart of conversions from Julian to Gregorian dates from 3701 BC to AD 1900, see Parker.[34]
- ^ For example, the Coptic leap day occurred on 11 September AD 2015 (6 Epag. AM 1731)[38] and its Gregorian equivalent on 29 February AD 2016 (21 Meshir AM 1732).[39]
References
Citations
- ^ a b Gabra, Gawdat (2008), "Coptic Calendar", The A to Z of the Coptic Church, A to Z Guide Series, No. 107, Plymouth: The Scarecrow Press, pp. 70–1, ISBN 9780810870574.
- ^ a b Clagett (1995), p. 29.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Vygus, Mark (2015), Middle Egyptian Dictionary (PDF).
- ^ "intercalary, adj.", and "intercalate, v.", Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1900.
- ^ a b Dawood (2007), p. 3.
- ^ "epagomenal, adj.", "epagomenic, adj.", and "epagoge, n.", Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1933.
- ^ "Middle Eastern Calendars" (PDF), Educational Resources, Chicago: Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Chicago, p. 3, retrieved 7 February 2017.
- ^ a b c d Jauhiainen (2009), p. 196.
- ^ Watrall, Ethan (2016), Understanding Egyptian Chronology (PDF), Michigan State University, p. 8.
- ^ Parker (1950), p. 46.
- ^ a b c "13: Nasie Month", Coptic Synaxarium, Alexandria: St Takla Haymanout, retrieved 6 February 2017.
- ^ a b Mebratu, Belete K. (2009), "Ethiopian Calendar", Encyclopedia of Time: Science, Philosophy, Theology, & Culture, Vol. I, Los Angeles: Sage, p. 128, ISBN 9781412941648.
- ^ a b "Ethiopian Calendar", Selamta, 2015.
- ^ a b c Shinn & al. (2013).
- ^ a b "Ethiopian Calendar", Official site, Tesfa Community Treks, retrieved 6 February 2017.
- ^ Parker (1950), p. 29.
- ^ Parker (1950), p. 23.
- ^ Parker (1950), p. 32.
- ^ Parker (1950), p. 64.
- ^ a b Spalinger (1995), p. 35.
- ^ Jauhiainen (2009), p. 77.
- ^ Jauhiainen (2009), pp. 81–2 & 198.
- ^ Jauhiainen (2009), p. 56.
- ^ Jauhiainen (2009), pp. 78 & 198.
- ^ a b Spalinger (1995), p. 33.
- ^ a b c d Jauhiainen (2009), pp. 197 & 223.
- ^ Spalinger (1995), p. 38.
- ^ Spalinger (1995), p. 46.
- ^ Jauhiainen (2009), pp. 82, 197, & 223.
- ^ Spalinger (1995), pp. 42 & 44.
- ^ Spalinger (1995), pp. 45–7.
- ^ Spalinger (1995), p. 34.
- ^ a b Dawood, K.R. (2007), "The Coptic Calendar" (PDF), Coptic Heritage, p. 7.
- ^ a b c Parker (1950), p. 8.
- ^ Reingold, Edward M.; et al. (2002), Calendrical Tabulations, 1900–2200, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 2, ISBN 9780521782531.
- ^ Reingold & al. (2002), p. 402.
- ^ Von Staufer, Maria Hubert (2002), "Christmas in Egypt", The Christmas Archives.
- ^ Reingold & al. (2002), p. 232.
- ^ Reingold & al. (2002), p. 234.
- ^ Reingold & al. (2002), pp. xx–xxii.
- ^ Reingold & al. (2002), p. 402.
- ^ Aldihisi, Sabah (2008). The story of creation in the Mandaean holy book in the Ginza Rba (PhD). University College London.
Bibliography
- Clagett, Marshall (1995), Ancient Egyptian Science: A Source Book, Vol. II: Calendars, Clocks, and Astronomy, Memoirs of the APS, No. 214, Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, ISBN 9780871692146.
- Jauhiainen, Heidi (2009), Do Not Celebrate Your Feast without Your Neighbors: A Study of References to Feasts and Festivals in Non-Literary Documents from Ramesside Period Deir el-Medina (PDF), Publications of the Institute for Asian and African Studies, No. 10, Helsinki: University of Helsinki.
- Parker, Richard Anthony (1950), The Calendars of Ancient Egypt (PDF), Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization, No. 26, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
- Shinn, David H.; et al. (2013), "Calendar", Historical Dictionary of Ethiopia, Plymouth: Scarecrow Press, p. 91, ISBN 9780810874572.
- Spalinger, Anthony (January 1995), "Some Remarks on the Epagomenal Days in Ancient Egypt", Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 54, No. 1, pp. 33–47.
This page was last edited on 11 March 2024, at 22:33