Mandaean calendar
The Mandaean calendar is a 365-day solar calendar used by the Mandaean people. It consists of twelve 30-day months, with five extra days at the end of Šumbulta. The Parwanaya festival takes place during those five days. Since there is no leap year, every four years, all Mandaean dates move one day back with respect to the Gregorian calendar.
Months
Each month is named after a constellation. The Mandaic names of the twelve constellations of the Zodiac are derived from common Aramaic roots. As with the seven planets, the constellations, frequently known as the trisar or trisar malwašia in Mandaic texts, are generally not viewed favorably since they constitute part of the entourage of Ruha, the Queen of the World of Darkness, who is also their mother.There is also another alternative set of names for the Mandaean months cognate with the month names found in the Babylonian and Hebrew calendars.
| Order of month | Constellation | Written Mandaic name | Mandaic script | Modern Mandaic pronunciation | Alternative name of month |
| 1 | Aquarius | Daula | ࡃࡀࡅࡋࡀ | Dawlā | Šabaṭ |
| 2 | Pisces | Nuna | ࡍࡅࡍࡀ | Nunā | Adar |
| 3 | Aries | ʿmbra | ࡏࡌࡁࡓࡀ | Embərā | Nisan |
| 4 | Taurus | Taura | ࡕࡀࡅࡓࡀ | Tawrā | Ayar |
| 5 | Gemini | Ṣilmia | ࡑࡉࡋࡌࡉࡀ | Ṣelmi | Siwan |
| 6 | Cancer | Sarṭana | ࡎࡀࡓࡈࡀࡍࡀ | Ṣ/Sarṭānā | Tamuz/Tammuz |
| 7 | Leo | Aria | ࡀࡓࡉࡀ | Aryā | Ab |
| 8 | Virgo | Šumbulta | ࡔࡅࡌࡁࡅࡋࡕࡀ | Šomboltā | Aylul |
| 9 | Libra | Qaina | ࡒࡀࡉࡍࡀ | Qaynā | Tišrin |
| 10 | Scorpio | Arqba | ࡀࡓࡒࡁࡀ | Arqəwā | Mašrwan |
| 11 | Sagittarius | Hiṭia | ࡄࡉࡈࡉࡀ | Heṭyā | Kanun |
| 12 | Capricorn | Gadia | ࡂࡀࡃࡉࡀ | Gadyā | Ṭabit |
Each month consists of exactly 30 days. The Parwanaya festival comes between the 8th month and 9th month to make up for 5 extra days in the solar calendar.
Due to a lack of a leap year included in the Mandaean calendar, dates change by one day every four years with respect to the Gregorian calendar. Currently, for example in 2022 CE, Sarṭana, meaning Cancer, corresponds to December / January in the Gregorian calendar, instead of June / July.
Days and hours
The hours of the day are counted starting at dawn, although Mandaeans formerly counted the hours of the day starting at sunset or evening. In Mandaic, a 24-hour day is known as a yuma, daytime as ʿumama, and nighttime as lilia. An hour is called a šaia, 5 minutes is called a šuša, and a minute is called a pigia.Some days are considered to be auspicious, while others are ominous.
The days of the week are as follows. Habšaba is considered to be the first day of the week.
| Day of the week | English | Mandaic |
| 1 | Sunday | Habšaba |
| 2 | Monday | Trin Habšaba |
| 3 | Tuesday | Tlata Habšaba |
| 4 | Wednesday | Arba Habšaba |
| 5 | Thursday | Hamša Habšaba |
| 6 | Friday | Yuma ḏ-Rahatia |
| 7 | Saturday | Yuma ḏ-Šafta |
Seasons
The four seasons are as follows, with the year starting with winter. The three months of each season, given below, are also referred to in Mandaic as the beginning, middle, or end of the season.- sitwa : Daula, Nuna, ʿmbra
- abhar : Taura, Ṣilmia, Ṣarṭana
- giṭa : Aria, Šumbulta, Qaina
- paiz : Arqba, Hiṭia, Gadia
Years
The Mandaean calendar is calculated from the year that Adam was born, or approximately 443,370 BCE. Charles G. Häberl calculates the date 18 July 2019 CE as corresponding to 1 Dowla 481,343 AA. The latter half of 2024 would correspond to 481,348 AA.
All Mandaean years consist of exactly 365 days. Since Mandaean months do not have leap years accounted for every four years, seasons "slip back" and will not correspond to the same Gregorian months over time.
World chronology
A chronology of the world according to Book 18 of the Right Ginza is as follows.- 216,001 AA – first cataclysm: destruction and pestilence
- 372,001 AA – second cataclysm: flame and fire
- 472,001 AA – third cataclysm: flood
- 478,001 AA – founding of Jerusalem
- 478,401 AA – birth of Jesus
- 479,853 AA – rise of the Arab kings
- 530,001 AA – green waters; final cataclysm; Bil assumes the throne of Ptahil.
- 530,043 AA – the end of the worlds: Ur devours Tibil and the planets, while "splendor and light" are created.
Epochs
- Epoch of Adam and Hawa: 1st generation of humans
- Epoch of Ram and Rud: 2nd generation of humans
- Epoch of Šurbai and Šarhabʿil: 3rd generation of humans
- Epoch of Noah and his wife Nuraita/Nhuraita : 4th generation of humans
Festivals
- Parwanaya: Five days that Hayyi Rabbi created the angels and the universe. The 5 epagomenals inserted at the end of every Šumbulta constitute the Parwanaya intercalary feast.
- Dehwa Daimana or Dehwa Daymaneh : Birthday of John the Baptist. Children are baptized for the first time during this festival.
- Kanshi u-Zahli: New Year's Eve
- Dehwa Rabba: New Year's Day
- Feast of the Great Shishlam or Nauruz Zūṭa : 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, 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 or Dehwa Ṭurma : 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.
- Ead Fel : Crushed dates with roasted sesame seeds are eaten.
- Abū al-Harīs or Ashoriya, "day of remembrance": on the 1st day of the 6th month, Sarṭana. Day of remembrance for the drowned people of Noah's flood. Grains and cereals are eaten as part of a special lofani. 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 Abū al-Harīs.
Example calendar
| No. | Mandaean month | Gregorian month | Festival |
| 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. 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 |
| 5 | Selmi | November / December | |
| 6 | Saratana | December / January | 1st of Saratana: Noah returned to dry land 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 or Parwanaya – 5 intercalary days: days of remembrance. Single and group baptizing 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. |
| 12 | Gadia | June / July | 28th and 29th of Gadia: light fasting 30th of Gadia : Kanshiy u-Zahly. At sunset, Mandaeans will close their doors and stay inside for 36 hours to commemorate the assembly of the angels in heaven. |
Below are some Mandaean holiday dates for 2024:
- March 13-17 – Parwanaya
- May 17 – Dehwa Daymaneh
- July 15 – Kanshi u-Zahli
- July 16 – Dehwa Rabba
- October 14 – Ead Fel
- October 31 – Dehwa Hanina
- December 13 – Ashoriya
- March 12-16 – Parwanaya
- May 16 – Dehwa Daymaneh
- July 14 – Kanshi u-Zahli
- July 15 – Dehwa Rabba
- October 13 – Ead Fel
- October 30 – Dehwa Hanina
- December 12 – Ashoriya