The Common Calendar

Crafted by the first ministers and priests of the gods in the early Age of Light, this is the most commonly used calendar in the world.

Months

There are eleven months to the year. Each are named after one of the Eleven Greater Gods. From the start of the year, they are this order:

1. Weste: after the nature goddess Westya
2. Perkno: after the storm god Perkwunos
3. Oso: after the beauty goddess Hausos
4. Weln: after the forge and coin god Weland
5. Diu: after the king god Deiwos
6. Weno: after the corruption goddess Gwenos
7. Sith: after the wisdom goddess Seith
8. Mim: after the knowledge god Mimras
9. Ment: after the trickster god Menot
10. Kolë: after the death goddess Kolyos
11. Sunra: after the protection god Thunras

Each odd month possesses 39 days, and every even month possesses 40 days. Therefore there are 434 calendar days per year.

Date Reckoning

Each day possesses a specific name in regards to four “naming days” within each month. This is how formal dates are spoken and written. They are based on the four naming days:

• The Calends: the first day of the month. Comes from an archaic word meaning “to call forth”.
• The Nones: the tenth day of the month. Comes from an archaic word meaning “nine” in a sense that it is nine days after the Calends.
• The Ides: the twentieth day of the month. Comes from an archaic word meaning to “divide” or “halve.”
• The Quadrans: the thirtieth day of the month. Meaning “fourth”, this was a relatively new addition to stop adding so many days after the Ides.

1. The Calends of [Month]
2. First Day after the Calends
3. Second Day after the Calends
4. Third Day after the Calends
5. Fourth Day after the Calends
6. Fifth Day after the Calends
7. Sixth Day after the Calends
8. Seventh Day after the Calends
9. Eighth Day after the Calends
10. The Nones of [Month]
11. First Day after the Nones
12. Second Day after the Nones
13. Third Day after the Nones
14. Fourth Day after the Nones
15. Fifth Day after the Nones
16. Sixth Day after the Nones
17. Seventh Day after the Nones
18. Eighth Day after the Nones
19. Ninth Day after the Nones
20. The Ides of [Month]
21. First Day after the Ides
22. Second Day after the Ides
23. Third Day after the Ides
24. Fourth Day after the Ides
25. Fifth Day after the Ides
26. Sixth Day after the Ides
27. Seventh Day after the Ides
28. Eighth Day after the Ides
29. Ninth Day after the Ides
30. The Quadrans of [Month]
31. First Day after the Quadrans
32. Second Day after the Quadrans
33. Third Day after the Quadrans
34. Fourth Day after the Quadrans
35. Fifth Day after the Quadrans
36. Sixth Day after the Quadrans
37. Seventh Day after the Quadrans
38. Eighth Day after the Quadrans
39. Ninth Day after the Quadrans
40. Tenth Day after the Quadrans

Spans

These are unofficial subdivisions of the month similar to a week. There are four Spans to a month, each possessing ten days.

Days of the Span

These can be named either as a singular span or divided into two five-day periods of time, even more similar to a week.

• Ten Day Span: are derived from the Mage's Calendar in their naming scheme – Protas, Deutas, Tritas, Tetras, Pempas, Hextas, Heptas, Octas, Ennas, Decas.
• Five Day Span: are named after the fingers – Thuma, Orda, Midla, Rynka, Litla. This is much more common and often referred to as a “Hand of Days”.

Holidays

Every third month, an intercalary holiday is inserted in the middle of the month. Each year possesses a theme or name depending on which months receive holidays. At the end of the year is a five-day holiday known as Creation Week; each day celebrates an aspect of the creation of the world. Every third year, an additional three days are added with the Creation Week at the end of the year, finalizing a cycle of 1,331 days (called a Milledies meaning “Thousand Days”).

Year of Passion

1. Largess Day: (Oso) a day of gift-giving and romance.
2. The Satiation: (Weno) a day to give into inhibitions and vices.
3. Venging Day: (Ment) a day of pranks and often seeking revenge against wrong-doings.

Year of Transition

1. The Reaping: (Weste) a day to celebrate the collection of one's friends, family, and possessions.
2. Fire Festival: (Weln) a day of purification and cleaning, both physical and spiritual.
3. Day of Penitence: (Sith) a day to go without pleasures or vices.
4. Day of the Grave: (Kolë) a day to remember those who have died.

Year of Ordinance

1. Sword's Day: (Perkno) day to remember your warriors and historic conflicts.
2. Lord's Day: (Diu) a day to recognize your kings, lords, fathers, or other superiors.
3. Day of Enlightenment: (Mim) a day of learning and meditation.
4. The Sowing: (Sunra) a day to celebrate the natural world and to protect and clean the world.

Creation Week

This week-long holiday occurs at the end of the year

1. Dark Day: a day of rest and no lights to signify the darkness before the arrival of Light.
2. The Spark: a day of arts, creation, and parties leading to the building a massive bonfire to ignite at night to signify the arrival of Light.
3. The Mourning (Third Year Only): a day of rest and expressing sadness over the destructive time that Light and demons arose in the world.
4. The Kindling: a day of tournament and combat sports to signify the battles against the demons.
5. The Venting (Third Year Only): a day of releasing anger and emotion upon objects, targets and dummies are made and furniture is made special to be destroyed.
6. The Descent: a day of celebration, parties, and gift-giving to celebrate the gods' arrival and later victory.
7. Foesfall (Third Year Only): a day to build a massive effigy of Rahab (or a local enemy) to be destroyed at night to signify the destruction of one's greatest enemy.
8. The Founding: a day of cleaning of the previous days' parties and to rest to begin the new year.

Duration

The length of this calendar's year is noticeably longer than the Mage's Year ((which equals one earth-year)). One “Common Year” is about one-fifth longer than the Mage's Year. This causes some discrepancies when calculating years and dates in history, as many scholars who aren't members of the Magocracy use the Common Year while true Magi use the Mage's Year.
This also causes the cycle of the seasons to fall out of sync with the year relatively quickly. Rural farmers have to remember how many days are in a season to know when to sow their seeds or reap their crop. Farmers closer to larger sites of civilization often possess a Mage's Calendar they only use for farming.