Culture: Calendar

After the Freeze began and it became clear that the world was changed, the leaders of the Bay decided to alter their calendar to reflect the new state of affairs. Part of this change involved numbering years relative to the start of the Freeze. The current year is the 147^th Year of the Freeze (YotF).

Months

Each year is divided into six pairs of two months. The two months share the same name, with the 25-day Little month preceding the 35-day Great month. The months of the year, in order, are as follows:

Month	Light & Dark on Festival Day	Season
Great Solen	12 hrs day/night	Spring
Little Greening	24 hours day 0 hours night	Summer
Great Greening		Summer
Little Tober	12 hours day 12 hours night	Autumn
Great Tober		Autumn
Little Yule	6 hours day 18 hours night	Winter
Great Yule		Winter
Little Fevrem	0 hours day 24 hours night	Winter
Great Fevrem		Winter
Little Noer	6 hours day 18 hours night	Winter
Great Noer		Winter
Little Solen	12 hrs day/night	Spring

The first month of the year is Great Solen, which begins with an even split between day and night at 12 hours each, but ends with over 18 hours of daylight. This trend continues in Little Greening which ends its length with the sun not setting at all. During Great Greening the balance begins to shift back in the other direction, and by the end of Little Tober there is once again an even division of daylight and darkness. The diminishment of daylight slows now, and by the end of Little Yule there is still 6 hours of light each day. The darkness takes full control between the Fevrems, then light begins to return again. Slowly, the light increases each month for the rest of the year until it has reached balance again at the end of Little Solen.

The seasons shift with the amount of daylight; the Solens are considered spring, the Greenings are summer, and the Tobers are fall. The six remaining months are all considered winter as the temperature drops considerably during that time. It should be noted, however, that despite being referred to as summer, the temperature during the Greenings rarely rises above 15°C/60°F and the average temperature is closer to 10°C/50°F. During the winter, the temperatures can fall as low as -40°C/-40°F but are often much closer to -20°C/-5°F and sometimes rise above 0°C/30°F.

Weeks

The calendar of the Bay does use weeks, but unlike our calendar their weeks are only six days long. Because each pair of months contains 60 days, those days are evenly divided into exactly 10 weeks and the full year contains exactly 60 weeks. The days of the week are as follows:

Mondey

Tirdey

Welsdey

Fardey

Saddey

Volands

Volands, the last day of the week, is the day of prayer when the people attend services at the kirkhall, but it is not otherwise considered a day of rest and work often resumes after services conclude.

Festival Days

For each pair of months, the transition between the Little month and the Great month is marked by a festival day. These festivals are not considered to be part of any month, instead standing on their own in the calendar.

The first festival, Summertide, takes place between the Greenings. It is a day of celebration and merriment, and many traditional games are played at specific hours of the nightless day. Though the original purpose of this festival is unknown, many view it as a moment to have fun and unwind between the work of planting and fostering food crops and the work of harvesting those same crops.

Between the Tobers is the festival of Hallows, a day to celebrate the harvest and thank Voland for the season’s bounty. A good harvest is essential to lasting through the long winter, and so the celebration of Hallows is sometimes delayed so that the work of harvesting can be completed before the frost comes.

Once the winter begins in the months of Yule, the dour day of Sorrows occurs. A mock funeral is held to commemorate the death of Voland, and the day is also used to remember family and friends who have passed. It is also the beginning of the coming of age ceremony for all those who have reached 12 years. For six months, the children are stripped of their name and treated as if they have died, having to fend for themselves.

Chand, the festival of lights, occurs in the Fevrems. It is the darkest time of the year, and so it is tradition to light candles and multicoloured lanterns everywhere. This is the only night that the nameless are acknowledged and spoken to.

In the months of Noer is the festival day of the same name. Noer, unlike the other days, is not celebrated with special meals and parties. Instead, it is a day of quiet contemplation when one remembers their life and thinks of their failures and successes. It is expected that you not work, eat, or sleep between the tolling of the bells.

Finally, the last festival is Nighsend. Nighsend, between Little Solen and Great Solen, is the last day of the year and so serves as the new year’s celebration. On Nighsend, the nameless become alive again, and can reclaim their names. Once their names are reclaimed, each receives a Saex knife and is considered to be an adult.

Wednesday: The Leaders of the Five Nations and Influential Groups