Aodhrain (Arbitration Moon) Monday, 1 September 2008
164.9.11.1 Aodhrain
10 Holimonth 1564
The eleventh month of the Celtic calendar, Aodhrain, begins today. It coincides with the Gregorian month of September this year. In the Gaulish calendar it is Edrinios, and in the Anglo-Saxon calendar it is the Harvest Moon, the last full moon before the autumnal equinox. In the Hebrew calendar it is Elul, the last month before the Jewish new year. This year it is Ramadan, the month of fasting in the Islamic calendar.
Aodhrain Calendar
Other Calendars
The new month in other lunar calendars will be as follows:
Gaulish: Edrinios (Arbitration), NCC 8
Hebrew: Elul (6), 5768
Islamic: Ramadan (9), 1429
Tree: …
Eilmí (Claim Moon) Sunday, 3 August 2008
164.9.10.1 Eilmí
12 Wedmonth 1564
This is the tenth month of the Celtic calendar. In the Gaulish calendar it is Elembivos and Grain Moon in the Anglo-Saxon.
Eilmí Calendar
Other Calendars
The new month in other lunar calendars will be as follows:
Gaulish: Elembivos (Claim), NCC 8
Hebrew: Av (5), 5768
Islamic: Sha’baan (8), 1429
Tree: Hazel
Modern Urban Transport Solutions Sunday, 27 July 2008
164.9.9.24 Eacha
5 Wedmonth 1564
I like my car and the freedom it gives me, but the fact is, our cities are becoming choked by them, and we need modern solutions to the problem. Trams are seen as old-fashioned, but they needn’t be. Many cities in the UK are returning to trams 40-50 years after the hasty decisions were made to ditch them in cities all over the UK. The only place where they survived was in the seaside resort of Blackpool.
I recently visited Prague in the Czech Republic. Their tram system there was a marvel. Fast, efficient and modern, it was …
Eacha (Horse Moon) Friday, 4 July 2008
164.9.9.1 Eacha
13 Afterlithe 1564
Today is the beginning of the ninth month of the Celtic calendar, Eacha, or Horse Moon. In the Gaulish calendar it is Ekwos and Hay Moon in the Anglo-Saxon.
Eacha Calendar
Other Calendars
The new month in other lunar calendars will be as follows:
Gaulish: Ekwos (Horse), NCC 8
Hebrew: Tammuz (4), 5768
Islamic: Rajab (7), 1429
Tree: Holly
Welcome to the Lithe Days Saturday, 21 June 2008
164.9.8.17 Siùfainn
31 Forelithe 1564
It’s the longest day of year. In Aberdeen the sun will rise at 04:13 and set at 22:06. In Saxon times this was the “Lithe” festival, and it is still celebrated in Scandinavian countries in particular. From today though, the days will start getting shorter, but it will not be noticeable for a while. In my notional calendar, tomorrow will be the 1st Afterlithe and we will be halfway through the year.
Siùfainn (Mid-summer’s Moon) Thursday, 5 June 2008
164.9.8.1 Siùfainn
15 Forelithe 1564
Siùfainn is the mid-summer moon that usually includes the summer solstice. In Gaulish it was Semivisonna. This year, the full moon is on the 19th June, just two days before the solstice, so it will be very low in the sky in Scotland.
Siùfainn Calendar
Other Calendars
The new month in other lunar calendars will be as follows:
Gaulish: Semivisonna (Midsummer Brightness), NCC 8
Hebrew: Sivan (3), 5768
Islamic: Jumada’al-Akhira (6), 1429
Tree: Oak
Prague Orloj is a bit wonky! Friday, 30 May 2008
164.9.7.25 Geamhain
9 Forelithe 1564
Have just got back from a trip to Prague. One of the highlights was seeing the “Orloj”, or Astronomical Clock. This clock shows the time and the positions of the Sun and Moon in relation to the signs of the zodiac and thus accurately indicates the time of year and the length of the day. There is a good explanation of how it works in this Wikipedia article.
Anyway, we went to see it one afternoon at just around 2:30 pm (on 26th May). I had predicted how it would look, with the Sun pointer at the …
Geamhain (Winter’s End Moon) Tuesday, 6 May 2008
164.9.7.1 Geamhain
16 Thrimilch 1564
Now we are into the second half of the Celtic year. Geamhain is the “Winter’s End” Moon, and signifies the beginning of the summer half of the year.
Geamhain Calendar
Other Calendars
The new month in other lunar calendars will be as follows:
Gaulish: Giamoni (Winter’s End), NCC 8
Hebrew: Iyyar (2), 5768
Islamic: Jumada’al-Ula (5), 1429
Tree: Hawthorn
Cuithe (Wind Moon) Sunday, 6 April 2008
164.9.6.1 Cuithe
17 Ostermonth 1564
The sixth month of the Celtic year begins today. This is Cuithe (pronounced roughly like ‘Keeth-uh’), and is thought to mean the month of winds or the windy month. This could be related to the Gaelic ‘Gaoth’, wind, the genitive of which is ‘Gaoithe’ and is pronounce roughly like ‘gee-huh’. The Gaulish name for this month is Kutios. Normally, this os a ‘hollow’ month, i.e. only 29 days, but this year it is is ‘full’, containing one of the three or four ‘leap days’ in every 19-year lunar cycle.
In the Anglo-Saxon lunar calendar, the nominal full moon …
Leap Day Thursday, 20 March 2008
164.9.5.14 Uarain
30 Rethemonth 1564
So today is the leap day in my notional Anglo-Saxon calendar, 30th Rethemonth. This month usually has only 29 days but it needs an extra one due to the addition of February 29th in the Gregorian calendar. Tomorrow is the first of Ostermonth, and the day after is the nominal full moon, and thus the Egg Moon. The festival of Easter is related to this ancient egg festival that celebrates the first full moon of spring, hence why we eat Easter eggs, which signify the rebirth of the agricultural year. And because the full moon is so …
Uarain (Cold’s End Moon) Friday, 7 March 2008
164.9.5.1 Uarain
17 Rethemonth 1564
Today marks the beginning of a new lunar month, Uarain or Cold’s End Moon, the fifth month of the Celtic lunar year. An alternative name for this month is Am Márt. In the Anglo-Saxon lunar calendar it is the Egg Moon, probably the most important lunar month in the old lunar calendar. The full moon of this month, being the first one following the nominal vernal equinox, marked great celebrations. The egg symbolism alludes to the beginning of a new agricultural year, of new beginnings. In my notional Anglo-Saxon calendars, it is the full moon that occurs …
Matronalia Saturday, 1 March 2008
164.9.4.24 Naghaid
Today is the ancient Roman festival of Matronalia. Possibly a forerunner of Mother’s Day (which is tomorrow this year), Matronalia celebrated Juno, the goddess of childbirth, and motherhood and women in general. Before Julius Caesar’s reform of the calendar in 45 BC it was the first day of the year.
Nowadays, Mother’s Day is a movable feast, occurring three weeks prior to Easter Sunday.
When is Leap Day? Sunday, 24 February 2008
164.9.4.18 Naghaid
2008 is what is known as a “bissextile” year (annus bissextilis). The reason for this comes from the ancient Roman system of dating by counting down to key points in the month called Kalends, Nones and Ides. In most months the Ides are the 13th and the Nones the 5th. In all months, however, the Kalends fall on the first day of the month, and dates following the Ides of the previous month are counted down towards the Kalends. Using this system therefore, the last few days in February are designated as follows:
24th Feb - 6th Kalends March
25th Feb …
Naghaid - “Stay at Home and Store” Moon Thursday, 7 February 2008
164.9.4.1 Naghaid
Today the fourth lunar month of the Celtic year, Naghaid or “stay at home and store Moon”, began. It is cognate with the Gaulish month of Anagantios. In the Anglo-Saxon lunar calendar it is the Lenten Moon, originally meaning the time of lengthening days, but later coming to signify the beginning of period of Lent in the Christian calendar, the period of fasting leading up to Easter. Today is also the official start of the Chinese Year of the Rat, and celebration will begin in the Chinese communities and last for around two weeks. In the hebrew …
Riúr - Cold & Ice Moon Monday, 7 January 2008
164.9.2.29 Dumhainn
Tomorrow is the start of the third lunar month of the Celtic year, Riúr or “Cold and Ice Moon”, cognate with the Gaulish month of Rivros. In the Anglo-Saxon lunar calendar it is the Snow Moon. In the Islamic calendar it will be Muharram, the beginning of the new Islamic year of 1429. It is the final month of the Chinese Year of the Pig, the Year of the Rat will begin on 7th February, so it will be a time of celebration in the Chinese communities.
There are some interesting events in this month. On Burns’ Night, …
Dumhainn - Month of Darkness Monday, 10 December 2007
164.9.2.1 Dumhainn
So, another month ends and we are now into the second month of the Celtic year, Dumhainn. This name is linked with the Gaulish name Dumannos (hence the double-n at the end of the word), which means something like "World Darkness". It tends to be the month that includes the Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere. In the Moonwise calendar it is Birch Moon, which, again, always includes the northern Winter Solstice. The full moon will be the Old English After Yule Moon, the first full moon of the new year.
Dumhainn Calendar
Other Calendars
The new month in other …
Analemma effects Sunday, 2 December 2007
164.9.1.23 Samhain
One of the effects of the analemma is that the latest sunrise and the earliest sunset in most latitiudes do not occur on the shortest day. In fact, the nearer to the equator that you are located, the further apart these events occur. At my latitude of 57 degrees north, these dates are 16 Dec (15:26) and 29 Dec (08:47) respectively. However, if you at the latitude of, say, Baltimore MD, these dates are 8th Dec (17:43) and 5 Jan (08:27) respectively. This is due to the analemma being more tilted with respect to the horizon at latitudes closer …
Seeing the analemma Thursday, 29 November 2007
164.9.1.20 Samhain
I have long known about the “analemma”, but now I have actually observed it. The analemma is the apparent path of the sun in the sky, as observed at the same time each day, allowing for daylight savings time. This traces out the shape of a figure of eight in the sky (see image below) due to the tilt of the Earth and the slight ellipticity of its orbit, which causes it to travel at different speeds around the sun during the year.
One effect of this is the “Equation of Time”. This is the difference between absolute solar …
Comet Holmes Tuesday, 13 November 2007
164.9.1.4 Samhain
I had a glimpse of this the other night. It is not very bright and rather small, and looks a bit like a fuzzy star with the naked eye. A quick look through the binoculars identified it as I could see it more clearly as a fuzzy blob beside Mirfak in the constellation Perseus. So, it is not spectacular, but interesting to see nonetheless.
Samhain - Celtic New Year Saturday, 10 November 2007
164.9.1.1 Samhain
The Celtic year has finally come to an end and the new year begins with Samhain (pronounced SOW-in, the SOW rhyming with “cow”). This time of year is probably the origins of the Pagan festival of Samhain, celebrated now as Halloween on 31st October. In my notional calendar this marks the beginning of Year 9 of the current lunar cycle, and Year 8 in the NCC (New Coligny) calendar (starts with Year 0). So the numeric dates will begin with 164.9 this year. In the Anglo-Saxon calendar it is Before Yule Moon and in the Moonwise it is Yew …
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