View source for Coptic calendar

{{short description|Egyptian liturgical calendar}}
{{Infobox calendar date today}}
{{Copts}}
The '''Coptic calendar''', also called the '''Alexandrian calendar''', is a [[Liturgical year|liturgical calendar]] used by the [[fellah|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 [[Era of Martyrs|AM]]).<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4llHAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA1348 |title=United States Congressional Serial Set |volume=1673 |publisher=Government Printing Office |location=Washington |year=1876 |page=1348 |access-date=2022-06-12 |archive-date=2022-06-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220612052537/https://books.google.com/books?id=4llHAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA1348 |url-status=live}}</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 Euergetes|Ptolemy III]] ([[Decree of Canopus]], in 238 BC) which consisted of [[Intercalation (timekeeping)|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 Empire|Roman]] Emperor [[Augustus]] decreed that [[Egypt]] must adopt the system as its official calendar.<ref name = "Bennett">{{cite web |url=https://www.instonebrewer.com/TyndaleSites/Egypt/ptolemies/chron/egyptian/chron_lnk_augustus.htm  |last= Bennett |first=Chris |title=Egyptian Dates: The Alexandrian Reform}}</ref>{{better source|reson=Probably a [[WP:SELF|self-published source but well supported by citions]]|date=July 2025}}{{efn|The date of the decree is unknown: the mid-20s BC is conjectured not supported by reliable evidence.<ref name="Bennett" />}}

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 284{{nbsp}}AD. The neighbouring [[Ethiopian calendar]] is very similar to the Coptic calendar, except that it has a different epoch (29 August, 8{{nbsp}}AD) 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 ==
{{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>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Survivals of Pharaonic Religious Practices in Contemporary Coptic Christianity |encyclopedia=UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology |year=2008 |last=Naguib |first=Saphinaz-Amal |url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/27v9z5m8 |access-date=13 September 2022 |archive-date=20 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920234953/https://escholarship.org/uc/item/27v9z5m8 |url-status=live}}</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>{{cite report |author=Fr Tadros Y Malaty |date=1988 |title=The Coptic Calendar and Church of Alexandria. |url=http://www.coptics.info/NEW_ARTICLES2/Others/Z_done/The_Coptic_Calendar_And_The_Church_Of_Alexandria.docx |publisher=The Monastery of St. Macarius Press, The Desert of Scete |access-date=13 September 2022 |archive-date=13 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220913010235/http://www.coptics.info/NEW_ARTICLES2/Others/Z_done/The_Coptic_Calendar_And_The_Church_Of_Alexandria.docx |url-status=usurped}}</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&nbsp;AD,<ref name="Dershowitz&Reingold">{{cite book |first1=Nachum |last1=Dershowitz  |first2=Edward M. |last2=Reingold |title=Calendrical Calculations |edition=Third |location=[[Cambridge]] |publisher=Cambridge University Press |date=2008 |url=https://archive.org/details/calendricalcalcu0000ders/mode/1upr  |isbn=9780521885409 |oclc=144768713 |pages=73{{ndash}}75}}</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.{{efn|The abbreviation A.M. is also used for unrelated calendar eras (such as the Freemasonic and Jewish calendar epochs) which start at the putative creation of the world; it then stands for ''[[Anno Mundi]]''.}} To obtain the Coptic year number, subtract from the Julian year number either 283 (before the Julian new year) or 284 (after it).

===Easter <span class="anchor" id="Date of Easter"></span>===
The [[date of Easter]] is determined the same way as is done by the Orthodox churches.<ref name="Dershowitz&Reingold" />

=== Christmas <span class="anchor" id="Date of Christmas"></span> ===

{{main|Date of the birth of Jesus#Choice of 25 December|Christmas#Date according to Julian calendar}}
In Coptic Christendom, the feast of Christmas is observed on 29 [[#Months|Koiak]] of the Coptic calendar (25 December (Julian), 7 January [[Gregorian Calendar|Gregorian]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fr. John Ramzy |title=The Glorious Feast of Nativity: 7 January? 29 Kiahk? 25 December? |url=http://www.suscopticdiocese.org/messages/nativitydate.html |publisher=Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020620170143/http://www.suscopticdiocese.org/messages/nativitydate.html |archive-date=2002-06-20 }} 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.

{| class="wikitable"
!rowspan=2|No.
!colspan=4|Name
! rowspan="2" |[[Ethiopian calendar]]
!rowspan=2|Julian calendar dates
!rowspan=2|Gregorian calendar dates (1900–2099)
!rowspan=2|Season
!rowspan=2|Coptic name origin<ref>{{cite book |last1=Černý |first1=Jaroslav |title=Coptic Etymological Dictionary |date=1976 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=978-0-521-07228-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Vycichl |first1=Werner |title=Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue Copte |date=1983 |publisher=Peeters |location=Leuven |isbn=978-2-8017-0197-3}}</ref>
|-
![[Bohairic]]<br />[[Coptic language|Coptic]]
![[Sahidic]]<br />[[Coptic language|Coptic]]
![[Transliteration|Trans{{shy}}literation]]
![[Egyptian Arabic|Arabic]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hinds |first1=Martin |last2=Badawi |first2=El-Said |title=A Dictionary of Egyptian Arabic: Arabic-English |date=1986 |publisher=Librairie du Liban |location=Beirut |isbn=978-0-8288-0434-9}}</ref><br />[[pronunciation]]<br />{{clarify|post-text= – [[Talk:Coptic calendar#Arabic pronunciation?|discuss]]|date=June 2024}}
|-
|1 || {{lang|cop|Ⲑⲱⲟⲩⲧ}} || {{lang|cop|Ⲑⲟⲟⲩⲧ}} || [[Thout]] || {{lang|ar|توت}} {{Transliteration|ar|''Tūt''}} 
|Mäskäräm (መስከረም)|| 29 August – 27 September || 11 September – 10 October || rowspan="4" |Akhet ([[Season of the Inundation|Inundation]]) || {{lang|egy|ḏḥwty}}: [[Thoth]], god of Wisdom and Science
|-
|2 || {{lang|cop|Ⲡⲁⲟⲡⲓ}} || {{lang|cop|Ⲡⲁⲱⲡⲉ}} || [[Paopi]] || {{lang|ar|بابه}} {{Transliteration|ar|''Bābah''}} 
|Ṭəqəmt(i) (ጥቅምት)|| 28 September – 27 October || 11 October – 9 November ||  {{lang|egy|pꜣ-n-jpt}}: [[Opet Festival]]
|-
|3 || {{lang|cop|Ⲁⲑⲱⲣ}} || {{lang|cop|Ϩⲁⲑⲱⲣ}} || [[Hathor (month)|Hathor]] || {{lang|ar|هاتور}} {{Transliteration|ar|''Hātūr''}} 
|Ḫədar (ኅዳር)|| 28 October – 26 November || 10 November – 9 December || {{lang|egy|Ḥwt-ḥr}}: [[Hathor]], goddess of beauty and love (the land is lush and green)
|-
|4 || {{lang|cop|Ⲭⲟⲓⲁⲕ}} || {{lang|cop|Ⲕⲟⲓⲁϩⲕ}} || [[Koiak]] || {{lang|ar|كياك}} {{Transliteration|ar|''Kyak''}}
|Taḫśaś ( ታኅሣሥ)|| 27 November – 26 December || 10 December – 8 January || {{lang|egy|kꜣ-ḥr-kꜣ}}: "spirit upon spirit," the name of a festival
|-
|5 || {{lang|cop|Ⲧⲱⲃⲓ}} || {{lang|cop|Ⲧⲱⲃⲉ}} || [[Tobi (month)|Tobi]] || {{lang|ar|طوبه}} {{Transliteration|ar|''Ṭūbah''}} 
|Ṭərr(i) (ጥር)|| 27 December – 25 January || 9 January – 7 February || rowspan="4" | Proyet, Peret, Poret ([[Season of the Emergence|Growth]]) || {{lang|egy|tꜣ-ꜥꜣbt}}: "The offering"
|-
|6 || {{lang|cop|Ⲙⲉϣⲓⲣ}} || {{lang|cop|Ⲙϣⲓⲣ}} || [[Meshir]] || {{lang|ar|أمشير}} {{Transliteration|ar|''ʾAmshīr''}} 
|Yäkatit (Tn. Läkatit) (የካቲት)|| 26 January – 24 February || 8 February – 8 March || {{lang|egy|mḫjr}}: The name of a festival, perhaps identical with a type of basket used in that festival
|-
|7 || {{lang|cop|Ⲡⲁⲣⲉⲙϩⲁⲧ}} || {{lang|cop|Ⲡⲁⲣⲙϩⲟⲧⲡ}} || [[Paremhat]] || {{lang|ar|برمهات}} {{Transliteration|ar|''Baramhāt''}} 
|Mägabit (መጋቢት)|| 25 February – 26 March || 9 March – 8 April || {{lang|egy|pꜣ-n-jmnḥtp}}: "Festival of [[Amenhotep I|Amenhotep]]"
|-
|8 || {{lang|cop|Ⲫⲁⲣⲙⲟⲩⲑⲓ}} || {{lang|cop|Ⲡⲁⲣⲙⲟⲩⲧⲉ}} || [[Parmouti]] || {{lang|ar|برموده}} {{Transliteration|ar|''Baramūdah''}} 
|Miyazya (ሚያዝያ)|| 27 March – 25 April || 9 April – 8 May || {{lang|egy|pꜣ-n-Rnnwtt}}: "Festival of harvest goddess [[Renenutet]]"
|-
|9 || {{lang|cop|Ⲡⲁϣⲟⲛⲥ}} || {{lang|cop|Ⲡⲁϣⲟⲛⲥ}} || [[Pashons]] || {{lang|ar|بشنس}} {{Transliteration|ar|''Bashans''}} 
|Gənbo (t) (ግንቦት)|| 26 April – 25 May || 9 May – 7 June || rowspan="5" |Shomu or Shemu ([[Season of the Harvest|Harvest]]) || {{lang|egy|pꜣ-n-ḫnsw}} "Festival of [[Khonsu]]"
|-
|10 || {{lang|cop|Ⲡⲁⲱⲛⲓ}} || {{lang|cop|Ⲡⲁⲱⲛⲉ}} || [[Paoni]] || {{lang|ar|بأونه}} {{Transliteration|ar|''Baʾūnah''}} 
|Säne (ሰኔ)|| 26 May – 24 June || 8 June – 7 July || {{lang|egy|pꜣ-n-jnt}}: valley festival
|-
|11 || {{lang|cop|Ⲉⲡⲓⲡ}} || {{lang|cop|Ⲉⲡⲏⲡ}} || [[Epip]] || {{lang|ar|أبيب}} {{Transliteration|ar|''ʾAbīb''}} 
|Ḥamle (ሐምሌ)|| 25 June – 24 July || 8 July – 6 August || {{lang|egy|jpjp}}: meaning unknown
|-
|12 || {{lang|cop|Ⲙⲉⲥⲱⲣⲓ}} || {{lang|cop|Ⲙⲉⲥⲱⲣⲏ}} || [[Mesori]] || {{lang|ar|مسرا}} {{Transliteration|ar|''Mesra''}}
|Nähase (ነሐሴ)|| 25 July – 23 August || 7 August – 5 September || {{lang|egy|mswt rꜥ}}: birth of [[Ra]]
|-
|13 || {{lang|cop|Ⲡⲓⲕⲟⲩϫⲓ ⲛ̀ⲁ̀ⲃⲟⲧ}} || {{lang|cop|Ⲉⲡⲁⲅⲟⲙⲉⲛⲁⲓ}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Crum |first1=W.E. |title=A Coptic Dictionary |date=1939 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |page=54}}</ref> || [[Pi Kogi Enavot]] || {{lang|ar|نسيئ}} {{Transliteration|ar|''Nasīʾ''}} 
|Ṗagʷəmen/Ṗagume (ጳጐሜን/ጳጉሜ)|| 24 August – 28 August || 6 September – 10 September|| Bohairic: The Little Month;<br />
Sahidic: Greek {{lang|grc|ἐπαγόμεναι}} < {{lang|grc|ἐπαγωγή}} < {{lang|grc|ἐπαγειν}} < {{lang|grc|ἐπι + ἄγειν}}: to bring in
|}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |first=Marius |last=Chaîne |url=https://archive.org/details/lachronologiedes0000chan  |title=La chronologie des temps chrétiens de l’Égypte et de l’Éthiopie |publisher= P. Geuthner |location=Paris |date=1925}} 
*  {{cite book |first=Cérès|last= Wissa-Wassef |url=https://archive.org/details/pratiquesrituell0000wiss  |title=Pratiques rituelles et alimentaires des Coptes |location=Cairo  |publisher=Institut français d'archéologie orientale du Caire |date=1971}} chapters II & V

== See also ==
* [[Egyptian calendar]]
* [[Ethiopian calendar]]
* [[Computus]]
* [[Era of the Martyrs]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Coptic calendar}}
* [http://www.copticchurch.net/easter.html The Coptic Calendar of Martyrs]
* [http://www.wdl.org/en/item/2842 "Seasonal Almanac Based on the Coptic Calendar"] is an Arabic manuscript from 1678.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060928041231/http://www.copticheritage.org/parameters/copticheritage/calendar/The_Coptic_Calendar.pdf The Coptic Calendar by Bishoy K. R. Dawood] (1.29MB pdf file – historical development and technical discussion)
* [http://www.copticchurch.net/easter.html An introduction to the Coptic calendar] (Gregorian equivalents are valid only between 1900 and 2099)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080508002335/http://www.andrewfanous.com/CopticCorner/CopticCalendar.htm Ancient Egyptian Calendar and Coptic Calendar]

{{Coptic months}}
{{Calendar of Saints}}
{{calendars}}
{{Saints}}
{{Ethiopian saints by feast day}}

[[Category:25 BC establishments]]
[[Category:Calendar eras]]
[[Category:Coptic calendar| ]]
[[Category:Coptic Orthodox Church|Calendar]]
[[Category:Egyptian calendar]]
[[Category:Liturgical calendars]]