The Armenian calendar is the calendar traditionally used by the Armenian people, and remains in use today for cultural and religious purposes. In 1918, the civil calendar in Armenia was changed to the Gregorian calendar.

In the Julian calendar year 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), the Armenian calendar was introduced. The epoch (Year 1) of the Armenian calendar began on 11 July 552. The calendar was adopted at the Second Council of Dvin.Book of Canon Law pdf, page 26

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 since the epoch, and the religious feasts.Armenian calendar for 2021 The Armenian calendar is divided into 12 months of 30 days each, plus an additional (epagomenal) five days, called aweleacʿ ("additional").

Years in the Armenian era are usually given in Armenian numerals (written in Armenian letters) preceded by the abbreviation , for (, meaning "in the year"). For example, , which means "the year 1455." Another prefix is , standing for ( "in the Armenian year").

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 Armenian calendar years (see Sothic cycle). Thus, the Armenian year 1461 (Gregorian & Julian 2011) completed the first Sothic cycle since the epoch, and the Armenian calendar had gained one year. 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).

Months The Armenian month names show influence of the Zoroastrian calendarL. H. Gray, "On Certain Persian and Armenian Month- Names as Influenced by the Avesta Calendar," JAOS 28 (1907), 339. 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:

+ Months of the year # Armenian H-MRomaniz. Meaning Etymology/Notes 1 նաւասարդ nawasard new year Avestan *nava sarəδa 2 հոռի hoṙi two From Proto-Georgian–Zan, Georgian ori 3 սահմի sahmi three From Proto-Georgian–Zan, Georgian sami 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 (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 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:

+ Days of the month # Name Armenian Text Meaning/derivation 1 Areg sun 2 Hrand earth mixed with fire 3 Aram 4 Margar prophet 5 Ahrank’ half-burned 6 Mazdeł 7 Astłik Astłik 8 Mihr Mihr (Armenian deity) 9 Jopaber tumultuous 10 Murc’ triumph 11 Erezhan hermit 12 Ani name of a city 13 Parkhar 14 Vanat host, refectioner of a monastery 15 Aramazd Aramazd 16 Mani beginning 17 Asak beginningless 18 Masis Mount Ararat 19 Anahit Anahit (Armenian goddess) 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

Holidays Per Armenian law, 12 days are declared as non-working days. Non-working days include: DateEnglish nameLocal nameRemarks1-2 JanuaryNew Year's DayԱմանորTradition6 JanuaryChristmas DayՍուրբ ԾնունդBased on the calendar used in Armenian Apostolic Church28 JanuaryArmy DayԲանակի օրIn celebration of Armenian Army formation on that day in 19928 MarchWomen's DayԿանանց տոնWomen's Day24 AprilArmenian Genocide Remembrance DayԵղեռնի զոհերի հիշատակի օրRemembrance of victims of Armenian genocide in 19151 MayLabour DayԱշխատանքի օրInternational Workers' Day9 MayVictory and Peace DayՀաղթանակի եւ Խաղաղության տոնShushi 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 MayRepublic DayՀանրապետության օրEstablishment of the Democratic Republic of Armenia in 19185 JulyConstitution DayՍահմանադրության օրAdopted in 199521 SeptemberIndependence DayԱնկախության օրIndependence from the Soviet Union in 199131 DecemberNew Year's EveԱմանոր

See also Public holidays in Armenia Armenian numerals Calendar of saints (Armenian Apostolic Church) Tabarian calendar Georgian calendar Iranian calendar Zoroastrian calendar :hy:Հայկյան տոմար

References

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 . Jost Gippert, Old Armenian and Caucasian Calendar Systems in The Annual of The Society for The Study of Caucasia", 1, 1989, 3-12.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.

External links

The Haik calendar (Origin of the Armenian calendar). Armenian/Gregorian date converter