Jumada al-Awwal
Jumada al-Awwal (), also known as Jumada al-Ula (), or Jumada I, is the fifth month of the 12 lunar months in the Islamic calendar. The month spans 29 or 30 days. The origin of the name is theorized by some as from the word "jamād" () meaning "arid, dry, or cold" - denoting the dry and parched land, hence the dry months. "Jumādā" () may also be related to a verb meaning "to freeze" and another account relates that water would freeze during this time of year. The secondary name "Jumādā al-Ūlā" may possibly mean "to take charge  with, commend, entrust, commit or care during the arid or cold month". However, this is rejected by some as it is a lunar month, which does not coincide with seasons as solar months do. In Ottoman Turkish, used in the Ottoman Empire, the name was "Jèmāzìyyu-'l-èvvel", or "G̃émazi lèlèvvèl". In Turkish it was abbreviated "Jā", or "G̃a". In Turkish today the spelling is "Cemaziyelevvel". Timing. The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, and months begin when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted. Since the Islamic lunar calendar year is 11 to 12 days shorter than the  solar year, Jumada al-Awwal migrates backwards throughout the seasons, during a cycle of about 33 solar years. The estimated start and end dates for Jumada al-Awwal are as follows (based on the Umm Al-Qura calendar of Saudi Arabia):