Coptic calendar

Template:Short description Template:Infobox calendar date today Template:Copts The Coptic calendar, also called the Alexandrian calendar, is a liturgical calendar used by the farming populace in Egypt and used by the Coptic Orthodox and Coptic Catholic churches. It was used for fiscal purposes in Egypt until the adoption of the Gregorian calendar on 11 September 1875 (1st Thout 1592 AM).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Like the Julian calendar (and unlike the international Gregorian calendar), the Coptic calendar has a leap year every four years invariably; it does not skip leap years three times every 400 years.<ref name="Dershowitz&Reingold" />

Origin

This calendar is based on the ancient Egyptian calendar. This calendar contained only 365 days each year, year after year, so that the date relative to the seasons shifted about one day every four years. To avoid the "creep" of the latter around the seasons, a reform of the ancient Egyptian calendar was introduced at the time of Ptolemy III (Decree of Canopus, in 238 BC) which consisted of adding an extra day every fourth year. However, this reform was opposed by the Egyptian priests, and the reform was not adopted until the Roman Emperor Augustus decreed that Egypt must adopt the system as its official calendar.<ref name = "Bennett">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Better sourceTemplate:Efn

To distinguish it from the Ancient Egyptian calendar, which remained in use by some astronomers until medieval times, this reformed calendar is known as the Coptic or Alexandrian calendar and its epoch (first day of first year) equates to 29 August 284Template:NbspAD. The neighbouring Ethiopian calendar is very similar to the Coptic calendar, except that it has a different epoch (29 August, 8Template:NbspAD) and different names for the days of the week and months of the year.<ref name="Dershowitz&Reingold" /> Like the Julian calendar (and unlike the international Gregorian calendar), the Coptic calendar has a leap year every four years invariably; it does not skip leap years three times every 400 years.<ref name="Dershowitz&Reingold" />

Coptic year

Template:Liturgical year The Coptic year is the extension of the ancient Egyptian civil year, retaining its subdivision into the three seasons, four months each. The three seasons are commemorated by special prayers in the Coptic Liturgy. This calendar is still in use all over Egypt by farmers to keep track of the various agricultural seasons.<ref name = Naguib>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>

The Coptic calendar has 13 months, 12 of 30 days each and one at the end of the year of five days (six days in leap years). The Coptic Leap Year follows the same rules as the Julian Calendar so that the extra month always has six days in the year before a Julian Leap Year.<ref name = FrTadros>Template:Cite report</ref>

The year starts on the Feast of Neyrouz, the first day of the month of Thout, the first month of the Egyptian year. For 1900 to 2099 it coincides with the Gregorian Calendar's 11 September, or 12 September before a leap year. For any year, it coincides with the Julian Calendar's 29 August, or 30 August before a leap year. Coptic years are counted from 284 AD,<ref name="Dershowitz&Reingold">Template:Cite book</ref> the year Diocletian became Roman Emperor, whose reign was marked by tortures and mass executions of Christians, especially in Egypt.<ref name = FrTadros /> Hence, the Coptic year is identified by the abbreviation A.M. (for Anno Martyrum or "in the Year of the Martyrs"). The first day of the first year of the Coptic era was 29 August 284 in the Julian calendar.Template:Efn To obtain the Coptic year number, subtract from the Julian year number either 283 (before the Julian new year) or 284 (after it).

Easter

The date of Easter is determined the same way as is done by the Orthodox churches.<ref name="Dershowitz&Reingold" />

Christmas

Template:Main In Coptic Christendom, the feast of Christmas is observed on 29 Koiak of the Coptic calendar (25 December (Julian), 7 January Gregorian.<ref>Template:Cite web states that Christmas has always been celebrated on 29 Kiahk in the Coptic calendar, and that this is equivalent to 25 December in the Julian calendar (until 2100, 7 January Gregorian).</ref>)

Coptic months

The following table refers to dates for Coptic years not containing 29 February. Such years are preceded by a Coptic leap day at the end of the preceding year. This causes dates to move one day later in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars from the Coptic New Year's Day until the leap day of the Julian or Gregorian Calendar respectively.

No.	Name				Ethiopian calendar	Julian calendar dates	Gregorian calendar dates (1900–2099)	Season	Coptic name origin<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
	Bohairic Coptic	Sahidic Coptic	[[Transliteration|TransTemplate:Shyliteration]]	Arabic<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> pronunciation Template:Clarify
1	Template:Lang	Template:Lang	Thout	Template:Lang Template:Transliteration	Mäskäräm (መስከረም)	29 August – 27 September	11 September – 10 October	Akhet (Inundation)	Template:Lang: Thoth, god of Wisdom and Science
2	Template:Lang	Template:Lang	Paopi	Template:Lang Template:Transliteration	Ṭəqəmt(i) (ጥቅምት)	28 September – 27 October	11 October – 9 November		Template:Lang: Opet Festival
3	Template:Lang	Template:Lang	Hathor	Template:Lang Template:Transliteration	Ḫədar (ኅዳር)	28 October – 26 November	10 November – 9 December		Template:Lang: Hathor, goddess of beauty and love (the land is lush and green)
4	Template:Lang	Template:Lang	Koiak	Template:Lang Template:Transliteration	Taḫśaś ( ታኅሣሥ)	27 November – 26 December	10 December – 8 January		Template:Lang: "spirit upon spirit," the name of a festival
5	Template:Lang	Template:Lang	Tobi	Template:Lang Template:Transliteration	Ṭərr(i) (ጥር)	27 December – 25 January	9 January – 7 February	Proyet, Peret, Poret (Growth)	Template:Lang: "The offering"
6	Template:Lang	Template:Lang	Meshir	Template:Lang Template:Transliteration	Yäkatit (Tn. Läkatit) (የካቲት)	26 January – 24 February	8 February – 8 March		Template:Lang: The name of a festival, perhaps identical with a type of basket used in that festival
7	Template:Lang	Template:Lang	Paremhat	Template:Lang Template:Transliteration	Mägabit (መጋቢት)	25 February – 26 March	9 March – 8 April		Template:Lang: "Festival of Amenhotep"
8	Template:Lang	Template:Lang	Parmouti	Template:Lang Template:Transliteration	Miyazya (ሚያዝያ)	27 March – 25 April	9 April – 8 May		Template:Lang: "Festival of harvest goddess Renenutet"
9	Template:Lang	Template:Lang	Pashons	Template:Lang Template:Transliteration	Gənbo (t) (ግንቦት)	26 April – 25 May	9 May – 7 June	Shomu or Shemu (Harvest)	Template:Lang "Festival of Khonsu"
10	Template:Lang	Template:Lang	Paoni	Template:Lang Template:Transliteration	Säne (ሰኔ)	26 May – 24 June	8 June – 7 July		Template:Lang: valley festival
11	Template:Lang	Template:Lang	Epip	Template:Lang Template:Transliteration	Ḥamle (ሐምሌ)	25 June – 24 July	8 July – 6 August		Template:Lang: meaning unknown
12	Template:Lang	Template:Lang	Mesori	Template:Lang Template:Transliteration	Nähase (ነሐሴ)	25 July – 23 August	7 August – 5 September		Template:Lang: birth of Ra
13	Template:Lang	Template:Lang<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>	Pi Kogi Enavot	Template:Lang Template:Transliteration	Ṗagʷəmen/Ṗagume (ጳጐሜን/ጳጉሜ)	24 August – 28 August	6 September – 10 September		Bohairic: The Little Month; Sahidic: Greek Template:Lang < Template:Lang < Template:Lang < Template:Lang: to bring in

Further reading

• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book chapters II & V

See also

• Egyptian calendar
• Ethiopian calendar
• Computus
• Era of the Martyrs

External links

• The Coptic Calendar of Martyrs
• "Seasonal Almanac Based on the Coptic Calendar" is an Arabic manuscript from 1678.
• The Coptic Calendar by Bishoy K. R. Dawood (1.29MB pdf file – historical development and technical discussion)
• An introduction to the Coptic calendar (Gregorian equivalents are valid only between 1900 and 2099)
• Ancient Egyptian Calendar and Coptic Calendar