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The names of the entities associated with the 30 days of the month are given in Table 9.24, in their Zend-Avesta form, the later form in Pahlavi (History of the Calendar in Different Countries Through the Ages, Saha and Lahiri, p. 166), and the Parise text form. This method of naming, rather than numbering, the days of the month makes the Zoroastrian calendar unique among the calendars studied in this book. |
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The five epagomenal days at the end of the year are given the following names in the Parise text (The Book of Calendars, p. 96): |
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The names of the 12 months, as given in the Parise text are: |
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A particular principle of the Zoroastrian calendar is the idea that a day of a given name that occurs in a month with the same name is a feast day for the deity so honored by the coincidence of day and month. Other days of observance, such as the vernal equinox, were also marked. |
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9.8.1.1.2
Historical Background |
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This section discusses the rather complex historical background behind the several Zoroastrian calendars. |
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9.8.1.1.2.1
Some Problems |
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There are several problems in this discussion: |
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Currently, no fewer than three calendars claim to be Zoroastrian. None of these is the original Zoroastrian calendar. |
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The birth of the prophet Zoroaster was used as the epoch for the original calendar. The dating of this epoch varies widely. The epoch of the three current calendars is based on the accession of a seventh-century monarch. |
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9.8.1.1.2.2
Historical Sources |
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The man called Zoroaster is known from a number of literary sources and presents a fragmented picture. The primary Persian sources are: |
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The Gathas, a set of 17 religious poems, dating from the sixth century B.C., which are ascribed to Zoroaster himself. |
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