Mandaean calendar

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 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	Hebrew
1	Aquarius	Daula	Shevat
2	Pisces	Nuna	Adar
3	Aries	ʿmbra	Nisan
4	Taurus	Taura	Iyar
5	Gemini	Ṣilmia	Sivan
6	Cancer	Sarṭana	Tammuz
7	Leo	Aria	Av
8	Virgo	Šumbulta	Elul
9	Libra	Qaina	Tishrei
10	Scorpio	Arqba	Cheshvan
11	Sagittarius	Hiṭia	Kislev
12	Capricorn	Gadia	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

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

The hours of the days are counted starting at dawn.[2][1]^: 75

Day of the week	English	Mandaic	Hebrew
1	Sunday	Habshaba	Yom Rishon
2	Monday	Trin Habshaba	Yom Sheni
3	Tuesday	Thlatha Habshaba	Yom Shlishi
4	Wednesday	Arba Habshaba	Yom Revii
5	Thursday	Hamsha Habshaba	Yom Hamishi
6	Friday	Yuma d-Rahatia	Yom Shishi
7	Saturday	Yuma d-Shafta (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,[6] 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).[7]

Festivals

Mandaean festivals are:[2][8]

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 Daymaneh: Birthday of John the Baptist.
Kanshuzahly: New Year's Eve
Dehwa Rabba: New Year's Day
Dehwa d-Šišlam Rabba or Nauruz Zūṭa: Little New Year, on the 6th-7th days of Daula. The Night of Power takes place on the night of the 6th day. (Similar to Qadr Night).
Dehwa Honina or Dehwaa Ṭurma: the Little Feast, on the 18th day of Taura. This holiday commemorates the ascension of Hibil Ziwa from the underworld to the Lightworld.
Ead Fel: Crushed dates with roasted sesame seeds are eaten.
Ashoriya: Day of remembrance for the drowned people of Noah's flood. Grains and cereals are eaten. (See Ashure or Noah's pudding)

Calendar example

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]

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 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	Hetia	May / June	1st of Hetia: Dehwa Dimana (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.

References

Drower, Ethel Stefana. The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran. Oxford At The Clarendon Press, 1937.
Aldihisi, Sabah (2008). The story of creation in the Mandaean holy book in the Ginza Rba (PhD). University College London.
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.
Bhayro, Siam (2020-02-10). Cosmology in Mandaean Texts. Brill. pp. 572–579. doi:10.1163/9789004400566_046. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
Gelbert, Carlos (2005). The Mandaeans and the Jews. Edensor Park, NSW: Living Water Books. ISBN 0-9580346-2-1. OCLC 68208613.
Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2002). The Mandaeans: ancient texts and modern people. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515385-5. OCLC 65198443.
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.
"Mandaean Calendar". Mandaean Synod of Australia. Retrieved 3 November 2021.

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[auto2-1] Drower, Ethel Stefana. The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran. Oxford At The Clarendon Press, 1937.

[Aldihisi_2008-2] Aldihisi, Sabah (2008). The story of creation in the Mandaean holy book in the Ginza Rba (PhD). University College London.

[Haberl_2017-3] 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.

[Bhayro_2020-4] Bhayro, Siam (2020-02-10). Cosmology in Mandaean Texts. Brill. pp. 572–579. doi:10.1163/9789004400566_046. Retrieved 2021-09-03.

[Gelbert_2005-5] Gelbert, Carlos (2005). The Mandaeans and the Jews. Edensor Park, NSW: Living Water Books. ISBN 0-9580346-2-1. OCLC 68208613.

[Buckley_2002-6] Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2002). The Mandaeans: ancient texts and modern people. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515385-5. OCLC 65198443.

[7] 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.

[8] "Mandaean Calendar". Mandaean Synod of Australia. Retrieved 3 November 2021.