6/12/2008

The Hebrew Calendar

The Hebrew Calendar is a really wacked out thing I just learned about. It is a lunar calendar, that is it's based on the phases of the moon. Since a month based on the moon is 27 to 29 days, as opposed to the 30 or 31 days of the solar month, the year constantly shifts. However, the season are based on the sun's rotation, and since they are very important to holidays and festivals, a weird "leap month" is thrown in the mix every once and awhile to keep the years an average (over a 19 year cycle) of 365 days. Other than that, there are 12 months (typically) like the Gregorian calendar we follow today. The first month of the civil year, Nisan, begins around the months of March or April (basically, the beginning of Spring).

So according to this "lunny" lunar calendar Mathieu Schneider was born the 26th day of the month of Sivan in the year 5729. (It can be written 5729/10/26, because it is the tenth month (due to a "leap month") of the ecclesastical year, that is, the year beginning with the High Holy Days)

What day were you born according to the Hebrew Calendar?

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