Holy Genesis and Good Clendar

[Arpa]

Holy Genesis and Good Celendar

 

Soon it will be the year 1450 (Ra Nou Tza) or 3086(Vev Pe Za)depending which chronolgy we use. The latter is based on the Hayotz Poqr Tvakan (Lesser Armenian Calendar) which is arrived by adding 1084 years to the Julian year. It is seldom used nowadays and it is based on the assumption that recorded Armenian history begins 1084 years before the modern era. The former is based on the Hayotz Metz Tvakan (Greater Armenian Celnedar), still used by the Church. It is attained by subtracting 552 years to the Julian year. Its basis is arguable as some use Church Council at Dvin (554-5 AD) or the final separation from the Byzantian Church, middle of the 6th century AD as the onset.

Holy Genesis and Good Calendar, we could have said Sourb Dznound ev Bari Kaghand. Dznound, based on the native Armenian root word "dzin", to be "born", common with the IE or Latin word to "generate", "genus" and eventually "genesis-dznound".

In the Armenian Santa Claus is known as Father Calendar, or by its more popular variation Kaghand Papa. Kaghand or "kaland" is another native Armenian word common with the Greek "kalende" or the Latin "calende". While in the those other languages it is mainly used to denote the first of the month in the Armenian it is exclusively used as the first of the year. In more serious literature it is customary to use "amanor". "Am" from the native "sama" is another word to mean "year", it has its equivalents in many other languages as in the Arabic "'am" etc. even then "am" is only a part of the extended word "amar" which appears in some classical languages in the for "som", "hamo" and "sumar". It ended up to mean "year" as many cultures began their new year in the summer, particularly during the month of Navasard (Aug. 11) or Harvest time (Berkahavag). Consider such words as "sommer" in German and the English "summer". In Armenia the New Year was celebrated alternately at the onset of summer, and at times at the Vernal Equinox (Spring, barenkendan) as the awakening of nature. After Chrsitianity both of those dates were moved to coincide with the Birth of Christ, even though many continued to ovserve the origianl dates for quite some time as some may still do.

 

Is there a significance to the fact that at one time we would greet by Bari Kaghand in the summer, the season of plenty, where as nowadays Kaghand Papa alternates with Dzmer Papuk? Have our summers of plenty turned into "Winters of discontent" and misery?