Kurdish calendar

Today's Kurdish Date

5 Xakelêwe 2726

5ی خاکەلێوەی 2726
See also: Iranian calendars

The Kurdish calendar (Kurdish: ڕۆژژمێری کوردی, Salnameya kurdî)[1][2][3][4][5] is a solar calendar used by Kurds to mark years, months, and seasonal cycles. The calendar begins each year on Newroz (21 March in the Gregorian calendar), corresponding to the spring vernal equinox. It consists of twelve months of 30 or 31 days with traditional Kurdish month names associated with seasonal changes and agricultural activities such as harvesting. The calendar is used alongside the Islamic calendar and the Gregorian calendar, and is formally recognized for cultural and official use in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.[6]

History

The start of the calendar is marked by the Battle of Nineveh, a conquest of the Assyrians by the Medes in 612 BC.[1][4][3]

Months

The names for the months are often derived from society's events in that month.

Order Name Romanized Other Names Days Approximate Gregorian Span Likely Meaning
1 خاکەلێوە Xakelêwe نەورۆز 31 March 21 – April 20 Thawing earth or spring onset.
2 گوڵان Gulan 31 April 21 – May 21 Derived from the word Gul (flower). It likely represents the season of growing spring flowers across Kurdistan.
3 جۆزەردان Cozerdan زەردان 31 May 22 – June 21 Barley or yellow grain harvest.
4 پووشپەڕ Pûşper 31 June 22 – July 22 Dry grass or winged abundance.
5 گەلاوێژ Gelawêj 31 July 23 – August 22 Named after the Gelawêj star (Sirius) that becomes visible this month; marks its heliacal rising or intense heat.
6 خەرمانان Xermanan خەرمان، جۆخینان 31 August 23 – September 22 Threshing or harvest time.
7 ڕەزبەر Rezber بەران 30 September 23 – October 22 Fruit ripening or the onset of autumn rain.
8 گەڵاڕێزان Gelarêzan خەزەڵوەر، خەزان، گێزان 30 October 23 – November 21 Autumn leaf fall.
9 سەرماوەز Sermawez ساران 30 November 22 – December 21 Cold mists or the onset of winter.
10 بەفرانبار Befranbar بەفران، بەرفانبار 30 December 22 – January 20 Derived from the word Befr (snow); signifies snow accumulation.
11 ڕێبەندان Rêbendan 30 January 21 – February 19 Snow-blocked paths.
12 ڕەشەمە Reşeme ڕەشەمێ 29/30 February 20 – March 20 Blackened or dark winds. It is also historically associated with the melting of snow, which exposes the dark earth beneath.

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b Kirmanj 2014, pp. 367–384.
  2. ^ Hirschler 2001, pp. 145–166.
  3. ^ a b Rafaat 2016, pp. 488–504.
  4. ^ a b Elis 2004, pp. 193.
  5. ^ O'Leary, McGarry & Ṣāliḥ 2005, p. 176.
  6. ^ Kirmanj 2014, pp. 372–373.

Bibliography

  • Elis, Hadi (2004). "The Kurdish demand for statehood and the future of Iraq". The Journal of Social, Political, and Economic Studies. 29 (2): 145–166.
  • Hirschler, K. (2001). "Defining the Nation: Kurdish Historiography in Turkey in the 1990s" (PDF). Middle Eastern Studies. 37 (3). Informa UK Limited: 145–166. doi:10.1080/714004406. ISSN 0026-3206. S2CID 59445286.
  • Kirmanj, Sherko (2014-07-15). "Kurdish History Textbooks: Building a Nation-State within a Nation-State". The Middle East Journal. 68 (3): 367–384. doi:10.3751/68.3.12. ISSN 0026-3141. S2CID 144636394.
  • O'Leary, Brendan; McGarry, John; Ṣāliḥ, Khālid (2005). The future of Kurdistan in Iraq. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0-8122-3870-2. OCLC 57001883.
  • Rafaat, Aram (2016-03-07). "The fundamental characteristics of the Kurdish nationhood project in modern Iraq". Middle Eastern Studies. 52 (3). Informa UK Limited: 488–504. doi:10.1080/00263206.2015.1124415. ISSN 0026-3206. S2CID 147220842.
  • Roshani, Dilan (n.d.). "Kurdish calendar". Kurdistanica. Archived from the original on 22 February 2008. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
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