Hebrew and Islamic calendars

The Hebrew (Jewish) and Islamic (Muslim) calendars are based on the lunar (Moon) cycle. Every months starts approximately on the day of a new Moon, or when a crescent moon is first seen.

The visibility of the moon varies according to the weather so the start date cannot be determined in advance. Printed calendars may vary by a few days. Tishri /Muharram corresponds approximately with September/October in the Gregorian calendar, Heshvan/safar with October/November, and so on.

Hebrew Islamic

1 Tishri Muharram*(30 days)

2 Heshvan safar (29 days)

3 Kislev Rabi’a I (30 days)

4 Tevet Rabi’a II (29 days)

5 Shevat Jumada I (30 days)

6 Adar Jumada II (29 days)

7 Nisan Rajab* (30 days)

8 Iyar Sha’ ban (29days)

9 Sivan Ramadan ~ (30 days)

10 Tammuz Shawwal (29 days)

11 Av Dhu al-Q’adah* (30 days)

12 Elu Dhu al-Hijjah (29 days)

*Holy months ~ Month of fasting

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Names of months

The names of the months in English (as well in many other languages) come from Latin Words. January Januarius – this month was dedicated to Janus, the Roman god of doors. Janus had two faces, one looking back at the old year and the other looking forward to the new year. February Februarius – Februa was the Roman purification festival, which took place at this time of year. March Martius – from Mars, the Roman god of war. April Aprilis – from aperire, Latin for open, because plants begin to open during this month. May Maius – probably comes from Maia, the Roman goddess of growth and increase. June Junius – either from a Roman family name junius, which means young, or perhaps after the goddess Juno. July Julius – after julius Caesar. This month was na

Chinese calendar

Present-day China uses the Gregorian calendar for most purposes, but traditional festivals, such as Chinese New Year, take place according to the ancient Chinese calendar. Legend has it that this was started during the reign of Emperor Huangdi in 2637 BC, and relates to the positions of the Moon and Sun. Heavenly systems Earthly branches 1 jia 1 zi (rat) 2 yi 2 chou (ox) 3 bing 3 yin (tiger) 4 ding 4 mao (hare or rabbit) 5 wu 5 chen (dragon) 6 ji 6 si (snake) 7 geng 7 wu (horse) 8 zxin 8 wei (sheep or ram) 9 ren

Constellations

Groups of stars form patterns in the night sky, which are called constellations. There are 88 known constellations. The sumerians, a Middle Eastern civilization, probably named them, about 5,000 years ago. The largest is Hydra, the sea serpent, and the smallest is Crux Australis, the Southern Cross. Centaurus, the Centaur. Has the most stars that can be seen with the naked eye(94). Others include Aquila, the Eagle; Canis Major, the Great Dog; and Orion, the Hunter.

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