Dara Happan Calender

From: Peter Metcalfe <P.Metcalfe_at_student.canterbury.ac.nz>
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 1996 00:21:56 +1300


Pam Carlson:

Asked about the Dara Happan Calender.

>We know the Dara Happans used a four season calendar, which
>was based largely on celestial events. (I _think_ it also
>has a two week Sacred Time?)

>Does anyone have any idea if the (12?) (10?) months have names? I
>remember reading somewhere about a month named "reed". How, exactly,
>would they correspond to the Theyalan calendar? I expect the first
>day of the Year would be the same in both calendars, since both are
>solar.

The only available facts that I know of are:

  1. Plentonius mentions a 'Reed Day Two' in the GRAY which is a spring date.
  2. The Two Week Sacred Time was adopted from the Theyalans during Nysalor's time (the Fortunate Succession).
  3. The Pelandan farming schedule was based on Stellar events and used something like 'When the Plow enters X*, it is time to bless and use the tool' (GRAY's Perfect Sky).
    • Presumably this is a house number on Buserian's Frame (Stellar Coordinates) from the context, but I hardly expect mere farmers to use such coordinates.

My thinking for the Dara Happan Calender is as follows:

The Calender 'month' is taken from the constellation the Sun last rose in. Since Lightfore invariably rises in the same constellation at night time, there's no problem in determining the date. I can't figure out where the Constellation of Reeds is but I presume it is in the Lake. Since the Lake/Marsh is in the Spring Fields, this accords well with Plentonius's mention of Reed Day Two falling in the Springtime.

The day of the month is calculated from the number of days that have elasped since the Sun rose in a certain constellation. Thus Reed Day Two means that the sun rose on the Reed Star two days ago.

This means that judging from the map on page 60, the months are (as far as I can make out are): Throne, Reed, Lion, Deer? (not mentioned in the perfect sky text), Hunter, Fan, Bird? (not Tholm), River, Crocodile, Bull, Tree and Scorpion. Although there are about twelve months, I don't think they are equal in length. The first three months are spring months and so on.

The beginning of the Year is when the Sun is in Throne or Youth according to the Perfect Sky, and the Sacred Time is probably the two weeks prior to that but I don't know how the Dara Happans ascertain when the Sacred Time actually begins (Like Muslims, I think the Dara Happans prefer to look at the Sky rather than rely on written calculations. BTW This gregs Elder Secrets which says the year starts when the Sun rises in Lorian which is on the other side of the Sky Dome! Truely an 180 degree turnaround!

>Sure, the Loonies fit the moon cycles into the solar calendar
>weeks, but that just shows that even the Red Moon Goddess is subject
>to the Justice of Yelm, no?

I don't think the week is an integral part of the _old_ Dara Happan Calender. The Romans and Babylonians managed quite fine without a formal week in their calenders. Naturally with the Phases of the Red Moon, Weeks are now second nature to the Lunars.

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