Amure Reckoning

The Amure Reckoning is the standard calendar for the West of the known world; it dates from the semi-mythical founding date of the Amure Empire. A solar calendar, it is 824 years "ahead" of the Seshweay Calendar, and 935 ahead of the Satar Calendar.
It is a solar calendar that begins the year with the summer solstice, and divides the days to come into twelve months of 30 days with the addition a period at the end of the year known as the Timeless Days. The new year begins only upon the observation of the summer solstice to herald in the next year. The period of the timeless days before the solstice lasts five or occasionally six days depending on the astronomical circumstances. Each month is divided into three weeks of ten days, with the Amure year having 36 weeks (in the traditional religion, each week was associated with a particular god). 
The Months according to the Amure reckoning are...
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1: The Month of Wind 
2: The Month of Rain
3:The Month of Storms
 
4:The Month of Earth
5:The Month of Death
 
6:The Month of Spirits
 
7:The Month of Harvest 
8:The Month of Fire
 
9:The Month of Darkness
10:The Month of Swords
11:The Month of Deer
12:The Month of Light
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The days of the week in the Amure Reckoning are each correlated with a specific totemic animal, colour and a cardinal direction (Or heaven and Earth which are considered spiritual directions). The week in addition is divided into five elemental periods (earth, air, fire, water, and spirit). These elemental characteristics, totemic and directional associations are utilised in traditional fortune telling and in astrology in the west. The days of the week have the following associations...
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First Day: Eagle, White, Heaven, spirit
Second Day: Horse, Red, North, fire
Third Day: Rat, Yellow, North-East, air
Fourth Day: Elephant, Blue, East, earth
Fifth Day: Buffalo, Brown, South-East, water
Sixth Day: Serpent, Green, South, water
Seventh Day: Monkey, Purple, South-West, earth
Eighth Day: Rooster, Orange, West, air
Ninth Day: Dog, Grey, North-West, fire
Tenth Day: Lion, Black, Earth, spirit
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The timeless days at the end of the year are considered to be outside of ordinary time, and to be in a particular "space" between man and spirits, past and future, the new and the old. Things which happen during this period are considered to not have existed once the period ends and are not recorded officially. Hence this period of time constitutes a period of revelry to herald in the new year and celebrate the old. However this period was considered perilous as well due to the spiritually charged nature of the period which put man and spirits in closer proximity, and so traditionally a great number of sacrifices, rituals and exorcisms to propitiate the gods and herald in an auspicious new year upon the solstice would take place. These practices have faded in modern times as traditional religion has declined, particularly in the machaianist regions (iralliamite rituals to expel evil are still common in this period in the iralliamite dulama states).
Category:Calendars