Timey's Calendarium

[Mr Morningstarr*]

That can't be right, today's Highday.

Trewsday.

Is that when they wash their trews?

[timey]

Originally Posted by Mr Morningstarr*

That can't be right, today's Highday.

Trewsday.

Is that when they wash their trews?

The Shire calendar is arranged so that the dates are on the same day of the week every year, so 2 Rethe will always be on Highday. To do this there is one (or two in leap years) days that are not on any day of the week. This means that it is impossible for it to keep in step with our continuous procession of 7-day weeks. Thus, the dates given for the calendar are those of the equivalent date in our calendar, but not the day of the week. (Hope that makes sense).

Not sure why it is called Trewsday. I will go and check.

[timey]

Trewsday is from Trewesdei for the two trees of Valinor.

[Mr Morningstarr*]

Tricksy hobbitses.

[timey]

My prrreciouss-ss-ss-ss-ss.

[Feredir]

Originally Posted by Mr Morningstarr*

So timey, what are the days of the week in The Shire?

Timey's right on, but in addition:

Every year began on the first day of the week, Saturday, and ended on the last day of the week, Friday. The Mid-year's Day, and in Leap-years the Overlithe, had no weekday name. The Lithe before Mid-year's Day was called 1 Lithe, and the one after was called 2 Lithe. The Yule at the end of the year was 1 Yule, and that at the beginning was 2 Yule. The Overlithe was a day of special holiday, but it did not occur in any of the years important to the history of the Great Ring. It occurred in 1420, the year of the famous harvest and wonderful summer, and the merrymaking in that year is said to have been the greatest in memory or record.

Courtesy of 'The Council of Elrond' and quoted fro 'The Lord of The Rings: Appendix D

[timey]

They tricksed us, they did. Nasty hobbitses.

[timey]

2008 is what is known as a “bissextile” year (annus bissextilis). The reason for this comes from the ancient Roman system of dating by counting down to key points in the month called Kalends, Nones and Ides. In most months the Ides are the 13th and the Nones the 5th. In all months, however, the Kalends fall on the first day of the month, and dates following the Ides of the previous month are counted down towards the Kalends. Using this system therefore, the last few days in February are designated as follows:

24th Feb - 6th Kalends March
25th Feb - 5th Kalends March
26th Feb - 4th Kalends March
27th Feb - 3rd Kalends March
28th Feb - “Pridie” (day before) Kalends March
1st Mar - Kalends March

In leap years, however, an extra day is added. We now take this day to be the 29th February but in Roman times the 6th Kalends March was doubled. In Latin the 6th Kalends March was “ante diem Sextis Kalendas Martias” and the extra day was “ante diem bis Sextis Kalendas Martias”, thus the origins of the term “bissextile year”. The dates at the end of Feb in leap years were thus:

24th Feb - 6th (bis) Kalends March
25th Feb - 6th Kalends March
26th Feb - 5th Kalends March
27th Feb - 4th Kalends March
28th Feb - 3rd Kalends March
29th Feb - “Pridie” (day before) Kalends March
1st Mar - Kalends March

Some therefore say that the extra day in leaps years is 24th February and, indeed, until recently churches celebrated the significant dates from 24th February onwards a day later in leap years. For instance, the 24th was St Matthias Day in the Christian liturgical calendar, but in leap years it was celebrated on 25th February.

Nowadays, however, the leap day is, in practical terms, the 29th February.

[timey]

Today is the ancient Roman festival of Matronalia. The derivation of the word is from the Latin for "Mother" but it was a festival for women in general. The men had to carry out tasks for the women (it was the other way round at Saturnalia, which was in December). 1st March was the first day of the year before Julius Caesar's reforms in 46 BCE.

I think this is the forerunner of what is now Mother's Day, although I can find nothing to confirm this. This year, Mother's Day is almost the earliest it can ever be (March 1st is the earliest). It is a movable date as it always falls three weeks before Easter Sunday, which is very early this year. I will be posting about that in a later post.

[Ernest Rants]

Originally Posted by timey

Today is the ancient Roman festival of Matronalia. The derivation of the word is from the Latin for "Mother" but it was a festival for women in general. The men had to carry out tasks for the women (it was the other way round at Saturnalia, which was in December). 1st March was the first day of the year before Julius Caesar's reforms in 46 BCE.

I think this is the forerunner of what is now Mother's Day, although I can find nothing to confirm this. This year, Mother's Day is almost the earliest it can ever be (March 1st is the earliest). It is a movable date as it always falls three weeks before Easter Sunday, which is very early this year. I will be posting about that in a later post.

gotta sort CK's wages 'fore you get to that