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. Thus, the Armenian year 1461 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 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 five days are called .
Years are usually given in Armenian numerals, letters of the Armenian alphabet preceded by the abbreviation ԹՎ for t’vin "in the year".
One may observe the real start date in future centuries in a Gregorian to Armenian .
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.| # | Armenian | H-M Romaniz. | Meaning | Etymology/Notes |
| 1 | nawasard | new year | Avestan*nava sarəδa | |
| 2 | hoṙi | two | From Georgian meaning "two" | |
| 3 | sahmi | three | From Georgian meaning "three" | |
| 4 | տրէ | trē | Zoroastrian Tïr | |
| 5 | քաղոց | kʿałocʿ | month of crops | From Old Armenian meaning "to gather" from PIE *kʷl̥- |
| 6 | aracʿ | From old armenian արաց, meaning harvest time, harvest of grape/fruit | ||
| 7 | մեհեկան | mehekan | festival of Mithra | Iranian *mihrakān-; Zoroastrian Mitrō |
| 8 | areg | sun month | From Old Armenian 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 | 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.| # | 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 |
Literature
- V. Bănăţeanu, “Le calendrier arménien et les anciens noms des mois”, in: Studia et Acta Orientalia 10, 1980, pp. 33–46
- Edouard Dulaurier, , 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.
- Louis H. Gray, On Certain Persian and Armenian Month-Names as Influenced by the Avesta Calendar, Journal of the American Oriental Society
- P'. Ingoroq'va, “Jvel-kartuli c'armartuli k'alendari”, in: Sakartvelos muzeumis moambe, 6, 1929–30, pp. 373–446 and 7, 1931–32, pp. 260–336
- K'. K'ek'elije, “Jveli kartuli c'elic'adi”, in: St'alinis saxelobis Tbilisis Saxelmc'ipo Universit'et'is šromebi 18, 1941, reprinted in the author's “Et'iudebi jveli kartuli lit'erat'uris ist'oriidan” 1, 1956, pp. 99–124.