THE PERSIAN CALENDAR
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(1) This image shows the difference between the Persian calendar (using the 33-year arithmetic approximation) and the seasons. |
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Iranian calendar (Persian: گاهشماری هجری خورشيدى) also known as Persian calendar or the Jalāli Calendar is a solar calendar currently used in Iran and Afghanistan. It is observation-based, rather than rule-based, beginning each year on the vernal equinox as precisely determined by astronomical observations from Tehran (or the 52.5°E meridian) and Kabul. This makes it more accurate than Gregorian Calendar, but harder to work out which years are leap years.
Persians have long favored a solar approach rather than lunar or lunisolar models. In general, the sun has always had an important symbolic significance in the Iranian culture.
The present Iranian calendar was legally adopted by the Persian parliament on March 31, 1925, specifying the origin on the calendar (Hegira of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE), mentioning that the beginning of the year is the first day of spring, that the year is the "true solar" year "as it has been" (کماکان), and specifying the month names and the number of days in each month.
Afghanistan legally adopted the new Iranian calendar in 1957, using the same number of days in each month but different month names. In Afghan Persian (also known as Dari), the Arabic language names of the zodiac signs for the months are used instead of the names adopted in Iran in 1925. (These zodiac names were also used in Iran before 1925.) In Afghan Pashto, native Pashto names of the zodiac signs are used.
The Iranian calendar year begins on the midnight between the two consecutive solar noons which include the instant of the Northern spring equinox, when the sun enters the northern hemisphere; in other words, the start of Spring in the northern hemisphere. The calendar consists of twelve months with Persian names. The first six months are 31 days each, the next five 30 days, and the last month has 29 days but 30 days in leap years. The reason the first six months have 31 days and the rest 30 was not a random decision by the designers – it has to do with the fact that the sun moves slightly more slowly along ecliptic in the northern spring and summer than in the northern autumn and winter.
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THERE IS MORE TO GET TO KNOW AT
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_calendar
Images:
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Jalaalileap.gif
This image has been released into the public domain by its creator, Tomruen. This applies worldwide.
(2) http://emr.cs.iit.edu/home/reingold/calendar-book/images/