Short Answer
The following entry offers an encyclopedic overview of the Yazidi lunisolar calendar, intended for scholars, students, and anyone seeking reliable information on this distinctive time‑keeping system.
The Yazidi calendar (Kurmanji: Rojnameya Êzidiyan) is a lunisolar religious calendar that determines the dates of festivals, fasting periods, and other significant observances within the Yazidi tradition.1
| Key | Value |
|---|---|
| Kurmanji name | Rojnameya Êzidiyan |
| Also written | Yazidi Calendar, Yazidi Kalendar |
| Category | Religious lunisolar calendar |
| Region | Sinjar (Iraq), Sheikhan (Iraq), parts of Syria, Turkey, diaspora |
| Observed/Active | Continuously used for liturgical purposes |
| Primary sources | Oral qewl tradition, community records, scholarly works (e.g., Kreyenbroek, Açıkyıldız) |
Pronunciation & orthography
The term is rendered in Kurmanji as Rojnameya Êzidiyan. In Arabic script it appears as ڕۆژنامەی ئەزیديان, and in Cyrillic (used by some diaspora communities) as Рожнамеи Езидијан. The IPA transcription is /ɾɔʒnaˈmɛja eːziˈdjan/. Common English misspellings include “Yazidi Calendar”, “Ezidi Calendar”, and “Yezidi Calendar”.
Main exposition
Lunisolar structure
The Yazidi calendar reconciles the lunar month (approximately 29.5 days) with the solar year (approximately 365.24 days) so that religious festivals remain in roughly the same season each year. This mirrors the structural logic of other Near‑Eastern lunisolar systems while preserving uniquely Yazidi nomenclature and theological symbolism.1
Months and seasonal alignment
Traditionally the calendar comprises twelve months, each linked to a specific agricultural or cosmological motif. The months are counted from the spring equinox, ensuring that the New Year falls in early spring. While the exact traditional names are transmitted orally and may vary slightly between villages, the functional sequence follows a regular lunar progression, with each month beginning on the new moon.1
Leap intercalation mechanism
Because twelve lunar months total about 354 days, the Yazidi calendar inserts an intercalary month (often called a “leap month”) every three to five years. This extra month restores alignment with the solar cycle, preventing the drift of festivals into later seasons. The decision to intercalate is traditionally made by the religious hierarchy at the temple of Lalish, guided by astronomical observation and the community’s liturgical calendar.1
Year numbering and historical epoch
Yazidi chronology counts years from a mythic creation epoch that, according to contemporary calculations, places the year 2023 CE in the Yazidi year 6773. This count is celebrated during the New Year festival, where the current year number is publicly proclaimed.4
New Year (Red Wednesday)
The Yazidi New Year, known as Çarşema Sor or “Red Wednesday”, occurs on the first Wednesday on or after 14 April in the Gregorian calendar. The celebration begins the evening before, with rituals such as egg‑boiling, bread‑baking, and pilgrimages to the sacred spring at Lalish.2
“Red Wednesday marks the Yazidi New Year where followers adorn traditional clothes, holding candles and paraffin lamps – commemorate the creation of the universe and celebrate nature and fertility.”
In the oral tradition
The oral corpus of qewl (sacred hymns) frequently references the calendar, linking each month to a divine attribute of the Peacock Angel (Tawûsê Melek). For example, a verse from the Qewl of the Creation states: “Each month the light returns, and the earth is renewed by the breath of the Angel.” This poetic framing reinforces the calendar’s theological significance.1
Scholarly disagreement
Kreyenbroek argues that the intercalary month follows a fixed 33‑year cycle, similar to the Metonic cycle used in the Hebrew calendar, whereas Açıkyıldız reads community testimonies suggesting a more flexible, observation‑based insertion that can occur after three, four, or five years depending on local astronomical conditions.1
Common misconceptions
Regional variation
While the core lunisolar framework is shared, regional practices differ:
- Sinjar (Iraq): Emphasis on the pilgrimage to Lalish for the New Year; local variants of month names preserved in oral poetry.
- Sheikhan (Iraq): Slightly earlier observance of the spring equinox due to local climatic patterns.
- Syria and Turkey: Communities often synchronize the calendar with the official civil calendar for administrative purposes, but retain the traditional leap‑month calculation.
- Caucasus diaspora: Use of Cyrillic orthography for the calendar’s terminology; occasional adoption of the Julian calendar for civil holidays.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| c. 12th century | First recorded references to a Yazidi lunisolar system in medieval Kurdish chronicles.1 |
| 1971 | Formal documentation of the calendar by Western scholars (e.g., Kreyenbroek).1 |
| 2023 | Year 6773 celebrated during Red Wednesday; illustrates ongoing continuity.4 |
Data table
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Number of months | 121 |
| Days per regular year | 354 or 355 (lunar year)1 |
| Leap month frequency | Every 3–5 years (intercalary)1 |
| Current Yazidi year (2023 CE) | 67734 |
| New Year rule | First Wednesday on or after 14 April (Gregorian)2 |
FAQ
How reliable are the dates given for the Yazidi calendar?
The dates are based on scholarly consensus and primary community sources, especially the lunisolar structure described in the Infinite Wiki and the New Year rule documented on Wikipedia.
Can the Yazidi calendar be used for civil purposes outside the community?
While the calendar governs religious observances, most Yazidis also use the Gregorian calendar for civil matters; the two systems run in parallel.
What is the basis for the leap‑month insertion?
Leap months are inserted to keep the lunar months aligned with the solar year, a practice confirmed by community tradition and scholarly analysis of the calendar’s lunisolar nature.
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