Calendar

A calendar refers to one of the systems of keeping time.
== Elven calendar ==
The Elves, owing to their longevity, reckoned in a period of 144 years called, in Quenya, the yén. This was divided into 8766 six-day "weeks", or enquier. They also recognised the solar year, which was called a coranar ("sun-round") or loa ("growth"). In Rivendell, the loa began on the spring equinox and was divided into six "months" or seasons, as follows.
Quenya name	Sindarin name	English translation	Duration
tuilë 	ethuil 	spring 	54 days
lairë 	laer 	summer 	72 days
yávië 	iavas 	autumn 	54 days
quellë 	firith 	fading 	54 days
hrívë 	rhîw 	winter 	72 days
coirë 	echuir 	stirring 	54 days
Five other days, two between coirë and tuilë (called Yestare and Mettare) and three between yávië and hrívë (called the enderi), meant the calendar added up to 365 days. Irregularities were allowed for by adding another three days every twelve years, except the last year of a yén.
The year (loa) begins on March 21. That day is called Yestare. The next day begins the season of tuile. Tuil'e ends on May 14. Laire begins on May 15 and ends on July 25. Yavie begins on July 26 and ends on September 17. The next three days are the enderi (September 18, 19, and 20th). Quelle begins on September 21 and ends on November 13. Then Hrive starts on the 14th. It ends on January 24. Coire begins on January 25 and ends on March 19. The next day is Mettare. These dates only work until the enderi have been doubled. Once every twelve years the elves would double the enderi to replace having a leap year.
== Númenórean calendar ==
The calendar adopted by the Men of Middle-earth was called the King's Reckoning, and was very similar to our own. It had a week of seven days, and divided the 365-day year of the Elves into twelve months (astar), ten with 30 days and two with 31. Also like our calendar, the Númenórean year began in midwinter. They retained the two days between the end of one year and the start of the next (mettarë and yestarë), but reduced the mid-year days to one (loëndë, essentially adding the other two to the mid-year "long months"). Leap years had two mid-year days. In the Second and Third Ages, years were reckoned from the beginning of the Age.
Various irregularities occurred in this calendar, especially following the Downfall of Númenor. In TA 2060, Mardil Voronwë revised the calendar, and the new version became the Steward's Reckoning. The months of Steward's Reckoning all had 30 days, and there were two additional "extra" days at the equinoxes, tuilérë and yáviérë. The five extra days (the equinoxes, midsummer and two at midwinter) were holidays. The Steward Hador added an extra day to the calendar to try and eliminate some of the irregularities.
In TA 3021, the Reunited Kingdom adopted a New Reckoning, which began the year on the spring equinox, as in the Elven calendar.
The months of the Reckonings were in Quenya (or Sindarin among the Dúnedain) and were:
Quenya name	Sindarin name	Equivalent
Narvinyë 	Narwain 	January
Nénimë 	Nínui 	February
Súlìmë 	Gwaeron 	March
Víressë 	Gwirith 	April
Lótessë 	Lothron 	May
Náríë 	Nórui 	June
Cermië 	Cerveth 	July
Urimë 	Urui 	August
Yavannië 	Ivanneth 	September
Narquelië 	Narbeleth 	October
Hísimë 	Hithui 	November
Ringarë 	Girithron 	December
== Shire-calendar ==
The hobbits, who had adopted the King's Reckoning, altered it in a different way from the Steward's Reckoning. Like the Steward's Reckoning, they had twelve months of thirty days, and five holidays outside the months. However, they had three "extra" days in midsummer and two in midwinter, similar to the Elven calendar. In the Shire the three days of midsummer were called Lithedays, and the two days of midwinter were the Yuledays. In leap years, the extra day was added to the Lithedays and called Overlithe. The other innovation in the Shire-calendar was to make Midsummer's Day (and the Overlithe) outside the week, as well as the month, meaning the days of the week would not change in relation to the days of the year. The Shire Reckoning is the calendar used in the Red Book of Westmarch, and hence in The Lord of the Rings. It counts from the founding of the Shire in TA 1601.
The Hobbit names of the months came from names used in Anduin in antiquity, and their meanings were often obscure or forgotten. They were:
Shire name 	Bree name
2 Yule 	2 Yule
Afteryule 	Frery
Solmath 	Solmath
Rethe 	Rethe
Astron 	Chithing
Thrimidge 	Thrimidge
Forelithe 	Lithe
1 Lithe 	First Summerday
Midyear's Day	Second Summerday
Overlithe 	Third Summerday
2 Lithe 	Third/Fourth Summerday
Afterlithe 	Mede
Wedmath 	Wedmath
Halimath 	Harvestmath
Winterfilth 	Wintring
Blotmath 	Blooting
Foreyule 	Yulemath
1 Yule 	1 Yule
(Given the decidedly Old English sound of these names, it can be assumed that this is J.R.R. Tolkien's "translation" of the archaic Westron.)
Overlithe only occurred in leap years. 2 Yule corresponds with December 22.
== External links ==
* The Reckoning of Time A historical analysis of all the Tolkien calendars.
 
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Category:Dates