Mandaean calendar

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The Mandaean calendar is a 365-day solar calendar used by the Mandaean people.[1] It consists of twelve 30-day months, with five extra days at the end of Šumbulta (the 8th month). The Parwanaya (or Panja) festival takes place during those five days.[2]

Months[]

Each month is named after a constellation (manzalta[3]).[2] The Mandaic names of the 12 constellations of the Zodiac are derived from Aramaic common roots. As with the seven planets, overall the 12 constellations, frequently known as the trisar (Classical Mandaic: ࡕࡓࡉࡎࡀࡓ, "The Twelve") in Mandaean scriptures, are generally not viewed favorably in Mandaeism, since they constitute part of the entourage of Ruha, the Queen of the World of Darkness who is also their mother.[4]

Order of month Constellation Mandaic name Mandaic script Hebrew
1 Aquarius Daula ࡃࡀࡅࡋࡀ Shevat
2 Pisces Nuna ࡍࡅࡍࡀ Adar
3 Aries ʿmbra ࡏࡌࡁࡓࡀ Nisan
4 Taurus Taura ࡕࡀࡅࡓࡀ Iyar
5 Gemini Ṣilmia ࡑࡉࡋࡌࡉࡀ Sivan
6 Cancer Sarṭana ࡎࡀࡓࡈࡀࡍࡀ Tammuz
7 Leo Aria ࡀࡓࡉࡀ Av
8 Virgo Šumbulta ࡔࡅࡌࡁࡅࡋࡕࡀ Elul
9 Libra Qaina ࡒࡀࡉࡍࡀ Tishrei
10 Scorpio Arqba ࡀࡓࡒࡁࡀ Cheshvan
11 Sagittarius Hiṭia ࡄࡉࡈࡉࡀ Kislev
12 Capricorn Gadia ࡂࡀࡃࡉࡀ Tevet

Each month consists of exactly 30 days.[5] The Parwanaya festival comes between the 8th month (Šumbulta) and 9th month (Qaina) to make up for 5 extra days in the solar calendar.

Days and hours[]

The hours of the day are counted starting at dawn (ṣipra),[2][1]: 75  although Mandaeans formerly counted the hours of the day starting at sunset or evening (paina).[6] In Mandaic, a 24-hour day is known as a yuma, daytime as ʿumama, and nighttime as lilia.[6]

Some days are considered to be auspicious, while others are ominous (mbaṭṭal).[2]

The days of the week are as follows. Habšaba (Sunday) is considered to be the first day of the week.

Day of the week English Mandaic Hebrew
1 Sunday Habšaba (ࡄࡀࡁࡔࡀࡁࡀ) Yom Rishon
2 Monday Trin Habšaba Yom Sheni
3 Tuesday Tlata Habšaba Yom Shlishi
4 Wednesday Arba Habšaba Yom Revii
5 Thursday Hamša Habšaba Yom Hamishi
6 Friday Yuma d-Rahatia Yom Shishi
7 Saturday Yuma d-Šafta (Shabta) Yom Shabbat

Seasons[]

The four seasons are as follows, with the year starting with winter:[2]

  • sitwa (winter)
  • abhar (spring)
  • giṭa (summer)
  • paiz (autumn)

Years[]

The Mandaean calendar is calculated from the year that Adam was born,[7] or approximately 443,370 BCE. Charles G. Häberl calculates the date 18 July 2019 CE corresponds to 1 Dowla 481,343 AA (AA = after the creation of Adam).[8]

According to Book 18 of the Right Ginza, there are four epochs (or eras) of the world, which is given a duration of 480,000 years.[9][10]

  1. Epoch of Adam and Hawa: 1st generation of humans (216,000 years)
  2. Epoch of Ram and Rud: 2nd generation of humans (156,000 years)
  3. Epoch of Šurbai and Šarhabʿil: 3rd generation of humans (100,000 years)
  4. Current and final epoch: 4th generation of humans (remaining years, which would be 8,000 years if taking the 480,000 years into account)

Festivals[]

Mandaean festivals are:[2][11]

  • Parwanaya: Five days that Hayyi Rabbi created the angels and the universe. The 5 epagomenals (extra days) inserted at the end of every Šumbulta (the 8th month) constitute the Parwanaya intercalary feast.
  • Dehwa Daimana or Dehwa Daymaneh (Dihba ḏ-Yamana, Dihba Daimana, or Dihba Rba ḏ-Daima): Birthday of John the Baptist. Children are baptized for the first time during this festival.[12]: 28 
  • Kanshiy u-Zahly: New Year's Eve
  • Dehwa Rabba: New Year's Day
  • Dehwa d-Šišlam Rabba (Classical Mandaic: ࡃࡉࡄࡁࡀ ࡖࡔࡉࡔࡋࡀࡌ ࡓࡁࡀ) or Nauruz Zūṭa (Classical Mandaic: ࡍࡀࡅࡓࡅࡆ ࡆࡅࡈࡀ): Little New Year, on the 6th-7th days of Daula, corresponding to Epiphany in Christianity. The Night of Power takes place on the night of the 6th day (similar to Qadr Night), during which the heavenly gates of Abatur are open to the faithful. Priests visit Mandaean households and give them myrtle wreaths to hang on their houses for the rest of the year to protect against evil. The households also donate alms to the priests.
  • Dehwa Hanina (Classical Mandaic: ࡃࡉࡄࡁࡀ ࡄࡀࡍࡉࡍࡀ, romanized: Dihba Hanina) or Dehwa Ṭurma (Dihba ḏ-Tirma): the Little Feast, begins on the 18th day of Taura. This holiday commemorates the ascension of Hibil Ziwa from the underworld to the Lightworld. The feast lasts for three days. On the first day, Mandaean families visit each other and have a special breakfast of rice, yogurt, and dates. Baptisms are performed, and the dead are commemorated with lofani (ritual meals).
  • : Crushed dates with roasted sesame seeds are eaten.
  •  [ar] (Ashuriyah): Day of remembrance for the drowned people of Noah's flood. Grains and cereals are eaten. Mandaeans believe that on this day, Noah and his son Sam made the food of forgiveness of sins for the souls of those who died in the flood. The food of forgiveness consists of seven grains representing the seven days of the week, and from the grounding of these seven grains came the name Abu Al-Harees. (See Ashure or Noah's pudding)

Example calendar[]

Below is an example of a calendar year for the Mandaean year 445375, which corresponds to the Gregorian calendar years 2005–2006 or Jewish calendar year 5766 (Gelbert 2005: 274).[5] Fasting (Classical Mandaic: ࡑࡀࡅࡌࡀ, romanized: ṣauma[12]) is practiced on some days.

No. Mandaean month Gregorian month Festival(s)
1 Dowla July / August 1st and 2nd day of Dowla: the New Year – Dehwa Rabba
6th and 7th day of Dowla: festival of Šišlam Rabba (festival of trees). Eating meat, fish and eggs is not permitted.
2 Nuna August / September 25th of Nuna: light fasting
3 Ambero September / October
4 Towra October / November 1st of Toura: Memorial Day ()
2nd, 3rd, and 4th of Toura: light fasting
18th of Towra: Dehwa Hanina (celebration of the completed creation)
5 Selmi November / December
6 Saratana December / January 1st of Saratana: Noah returned to dry land ( [ar])
9th of Saratana: light fasting
15th of Saratana: light fasting
23rd of Saratana: light fasting
7 Aria January / February
8 Shumbolta February / March From 26th to 30th of Shumbolta: full fasting
(Panja) (Panja) Panja or Parwanaya – 5 intercalary days: days of remembrance (or "days without night"). Single and group baptizing (masbuta) is permitted. Eating bread with yeast is not allowed.
9 Qina March / April 1st of Qina: light fasting
10 Arqwa April / May
11 Heṭia May / June 1st of Heṭia: Dehwa Daimana (birthday of Yehya Yehanna).
12 Gadia June / July 28th and 29th of Gadia: light fasting
30th of Gadia (New Year's Eve): Kanshiy u-Zahly (cleaning and washing the whole household, baptism and buying new clothes). At sunset, Mandaeans will close their doors and stay inside for 36 hours to commemorate the assembly of the angels in heaven.

See also[]

  • Assyrian calendar
  • Babylonian calendar
  • Iranian calendars
  • Hebrew calendar
  • Intercalary month (Egypt)

References[]

  1. ^ a b Drower, Ethel Stefana. The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran. Oxford At The Clarendon Press, 1937.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Aldihisi, Sabah (2008). The story of creation in the Mandaean holy book in the Ginza Rba (PhD). University College London.
  3. ^ Häberl, Charles G. (Spring 2017). "The Origin and Meaning of Mandaic". Journal of Semitic Studies. Oxford University Press. 62 (1). doi:10.1093/jss/fg?000.
  4. ^ Bhayro, Siam (2020-02-10). Cosmology in Mandaean Texts. Brill. pp. 572–579. doi:10.1163/9789004400566_046. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
  5. ^ a b Gelbert, Carlos (2005). The Mandaeans and the Jews. Edensor Park, NSW: Living Water Books. ISBN 0-9580346-2-1. OCLC 68208613.
  6. ^ a b Häberl, Charles (2021-01-07). "The Mandaean Day". Academia Letters. doi:10.20935/al122.
  7. ^ Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2002). The Mandaeans: ancient texts and modern people. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515385-5. OCLC 65198443.
  8. ^ Charles G. Häberl (13 January 2021). "Of Calendars—and Kings—and Why the Winter is Boiling Hot". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. 31: 535-544.
  9. ^ Lidzbarski, Mark (1925). Ginza: Der Schatz oder Das große Buch der Mandäer. Göttingen: Vandenhoek & Ruprecht.
  10. ^ Gelbert, Carlos (2011). Ginza Rba. Sydney: Living Water Books. ISBN 9780958034630.
  11. ^ "Mandaean Calendar". Mandaean Synod of Australia. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  12. ^ a b Nasoraia, Brikha H.S. (2021). The Mandaean gnostic religion: worship practice and deep thought. New Delhi: Sterling. ISBN 978-81-950824-1-4. OCLC 1272858968.
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