The Coptic New Year
The Feast of Nayrouz
Is it true that Coptic calender is the first known to humanity?
The Coptic New Year is the very first calendar ever known to man on the planet earth! It goes back 4241 BC. The word "Nayrouz" is of Coptic origin.
What Nayrouz means?
The stem is niiaro-oo meaning: "the rivers." The suffix "ouz" is Greek, thus, the word "Niiaroouz." Mid September is usually when the waters of the river Nile rises, so prayers are lifted to God for the rising of the waters of the rivers for irrigation and ask for His blessings at the beginning (crown) of the Coptic Calendar year. When the Persian ruled Egypt from 405- 525 BC, they adopted the word and incorporated it in their language and took it to mean "the beginning of their Persian year," and called it "Nayrouz." The word "Nayrouz" in Persian, means "the new year."What Nayrouz means?
Did you know who created the 5 Bank Holiday days?
The Coptic Egyptian Church celebrates the Coptic New Year (Anno Martyrus), or year of the martyrs on 11th of September. The Coptic calender is the ancient Egyptian one of twelve 30-day months plus a "small" five-day month - six-day in a leap year.
The months retain their ancient Egyptian names which denote the gods and goddesses of the Egyptians, and the year’s three seasons, the inundation, cultivation, and harvest, are related to the Nile and the annual agricultural cycle.
The Copts chose the year 284AD to mark the beginning of the Copt calendar, since this year saw the seating of Diocletian as Rome’s emperor and the consequent martyrdom of thousands upon thousands of Egypt’s Christians.
Nayrouz feast is to celebrate Copt New Year and honoring the Copt martyrs
Diocletian the Roman Emperor
Apart from the Church’s celebration, Copts celebrate the Coptic New Year by eating red dates, which are in season in September. You may only eaten dates as dried being brown outside and inside - usually fresh dates are bright red on the outside and white on the inside. Copts believe the red symbolises the martyrs’ blood and the white symbolises the martyrs’ pure hearts.
What are the Coptic 13 Months names & meaning?
- Thout ... the month of full inundation
- Paopi
- Hathor ...the month of sowing
- Koiak ... is the mid winter month with shortest days
- Tobi
- Meshir ... comes with it's famous windstorms
- Paremhat
- Paremoude
- Pashons
- Paoni ... comes with it's oppressive summer heat
- Epip
- Mesori
- Pi Kogi Enavot (the Little Month)
Popular quotes describe each month in a short jiggle rhyme. Each month is also famous for a specific produce. Egyptians talk of Hatour bananas, Ba’ouna’s honey, Misra grapes, or Kiyahk fish.
Egypt’s largely illiterate rural community which have preserved the Coptic calendar, since it is very closely connected to their agricultural activity. Arabic or Latin months mean nothing to them.
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