The Terran Calendar (Patreon)

Terra, much like Earth, uses calendars to track the progression of the year as well as its various seasons and holidays. While there are a number of different calendars in use by the various Terran cultures, the one readers will be most familiar with is the Elutian Calendar. This calendar, created thousands of years ago somewhere in the south of Vitelu, was popularized and spread to much of the rest of the world by the elves.

The length of a Terran year is identical to our own, divided into twelve months. Each week contains seven days, and their days twenty-four hours. In many other aspects, however, they could not be more different. The days of the week, for example, are named after the three celestial bodies and four classical elements: Astraday, Solisday, Lunaday, Ignisday, Aerisday, Terraday, and Aquaday. This week starts weekend first, on Astraday, the equivalent of our Saturday.

Each month contains a total of thirty days, and all twelve are spread evenly across four seasons, similar to our own, though with slightly altered dates. Each month is named for a sign of the zodiac, corresponding with the dates the planet passes through that sign’s constellation in relation to the position of the sun. Their names are as follows, beginning with the months of Spring: Arieus, Taurea, Geminus, Cancea, Leus, Virgus, Libris, Scorpius, Sagitarea, Capricus, Aquaria, and Piscea.

The start of each new season, the equinoxes and solstices, are celebrated as global holidays by the parts of the world who follow the Elutian Calendar. These days are considered separate from the rest, taking place the day before the start of that season's first month; Arieus for Spring, Cancea for Summer, Libris for Autumn, and Capricus for Winter. The dates for these days are written with the day recorded as “0,” meaning someone born on the Winter Solstice would have a birthday of 0/10/XXXX.

New Year’s Day is another global holiday, and is celebrated on the day before the Spring Equinox, written with the month and day as 0/0/XXXX. Leap years, which take place every four years just like on Earth, are held on the day before New Years, or more accurately, on the final day of the previous year. This date is written as 0/13, and because of that those who are more superstitious believe that people born on Leap Days are unlucky or cursed.

As previously stated, the Elutian Calendar is only one of many calendars used across Terra. While the majority of them are rarely used by anyone outside of a specific region or homeland, some have found popularity as widespread as the Elutian. The most well known of these is the Huaxian Calendar. It is similarly divided into twelve months among four seasons, but with names based on the Huaxian Zodiac: Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig, Rat, and Ox.

These months also contain thirty days, but are split differently, into three weeks of ten. The days of the week are named after the Five Phases of the Wuxing: huǒ (fire), shuǐ (water), mù (wood), jīn (metal), and tǔ (earth). These five are cycled through each week twice, with the first half being attributed to the sun, and the second half the moon. In order, the days are: Huoqiri, Shuiqiri, Muqiri, Jinqiri, Tuqiri, Huoqiyue, Shuiqiyue, Muqiyue, Jinqiyue, Tuqiyue.

Rather than celebrating the solstices and equinoxes as separate holidays, the Huaxian Calendar calls for seasonal festivals to be held at the peak of their respective seasons. Each festival is dedicated to a specific mythological figure from Huaxian mythology as well as one of the Five Phases. The Holy Day of the Azure Dragon is held during the middle of the month of the Rabbit, representing Wood. The Holy Day of the Vermillion Bird takes place during the month of the Horse, representing Fire. The Holy Day of the White Tiger is during the month of the Rooster, representing Metal. And finally, the Holy Day of the Black Tortoise happens in the month of the Rat, representing Water. Additionally, rather than New Year's being a day on its own, the Holy Day of the Yellow Dragon is celebrated in the very middle of the year, representing Earth, and leap days occur once again at the very end of the year.

Those are two most widespread calendars across the lands of Terra, but who’s to say they’re the only ones we’ll see? It’s a big world, and there’s a lot of people in it. Only time will tell where the story takes us, and thankfully we can all use a calendar to mark off the days.