Re: Hebrew calendar direction

On Sat, 12 Feb 2005 02:58, Shaul Vardi wrote:
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Constructed Languages List
> > [mailto:CONLANG@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU] On Behalf Of Mark J. Reed
> > Sent: Friday, February 11, 2005 3:34 PM
> > To: CONLANG@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU
> > Subject: Re: [OT] Hebrew calendar direction
> >
> > On Fri, Feb 11, 2005 at 03:24:32AM +0100, Jean-François Colson wrote:
> > > Just look there:
> > > http://www.geocities.com/mutmainaa/kids/islam/months.html
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > > Rabi al-Awwal - The First Spring
> > >
> > > Rabi ath-Thani - The Second Spring
> >
> > [snip]
> >
> > Are those literal translations of the names?  I find it quite
> > surprising that the Islamic calendar, which has absolutely no
> > seasonal anchors, would have months named after seasons and
> > weather conditions.  Holy misnomers!
The Islamic calendar is lunar, not solar.  Its seasonal swings are quite
predictable, though not "ordinary" to anyone using the solar calendar.
>
> The translations are absolutely literal.  Interesting indeed.
Muharram?  I link that with "haram", which doesn't mean "sacred' as far as I
know.  Unless it is pre-Islamic, which wouldn't surprise me.

Rabi al-Awwal,  Rabi al-Thani
Jumad al-Ula,    Jumad al-Thani

Either Awwal and Ula are two different words, or vocalization changes
dramatically for the word awwal/ula depending on circumstances I can't work
out from the small sample presented here.

Dhul Hijjah - that's pre-Islamic.  The Qabah Sanctuary was sacred to all the
warring tribes, so - like the Greeks with the Olympic Games, a truce was
declared for the purposes of the Hajj.
>
> > Also, IIRC, the Muslim holy day (well, holier day; Muslims
> > seem to do their worshipping and prayer services daily) is
> > Friday.  So are Islamic calendars printed with Friday at the
> > end of the week?
>
> No, I haven't seen that.  I had an interesting discussion with a Muslim
> Arab work colleague of mine yesterday. As you mentioned, yesterday was
> the Muslim new year, and my children were off school.  But the whole
> event was very low key, and my friend turned up for work and had a
> meeting with some other people, also Muslim Arabs...  I asked him and he
> said that there are only really two festivals, Id al-Fitr and Id
> al-Adha; other dates (like the new year) might be an occasion for
> special prayers, but are virtually unmarked in social terms.  He quoted
> a tradition (Hadith) about the Prophet Mohammed saying that there are 2
> festivals, but I can't remember it exactly.
Which makes quite a difference from the Jewish calendar, which has a fair few
festivals, some of which date from the Children of Israel's nomadic period,
and the Roman Catholic calendar, which is stuffed full of festivals, not that
anyone would have occasion to celebrate even half lest they starve, but which
shows its origins as the calendar of a rural society with cities being
parasitic on it.
>
> > -Marcos
Wesley Parish
--
Clinersterton beademung, with all of love - RIP James Blish
-----
Mau e ki, he aha te mea nui?
You ask, what is the most important thing?
Maku e ki, he tangata, he tangata, he tangata.
I reply, it is people, it is people, it is people.

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