Eudokonian Calendar

A lunisolar calendar originating among the tribal peoples of the Akanthan peninsula, the Laparan calendar has grown into the most widespread system of measuring time throughout Eudokonia due to its enforced use throughout the Empire’s provinces. The calendar uses the cycles of Gaés’ larger moon, Esmeia, to break the year into 24-day months, which are then divided into three 8-day octaves.

The twelve standard months of the Laparan calendar are typically named after the most important festival celebrated during the month. In addition to the twelve months below, a thirteenth intercalary month, Maurion, appears between the months of Thalassion and Gamelion every four years to compensate for the difference between solar and lunar cycles.

1. The Month of the Yearling Bulls, Hekatombaion, is the first month of the year, beginning on the day after the first new moon following the Summer Solstice. Named after the Hekatomb, an archaic ritual where one-hundred yearling bulls were sacrificed to the Akanthan gods in an expiation against the offenses the tribes may have made against the various gods. In more modern times, Hekatombaion has a month of ritual cleansing and austerity.
2. The Month of the Kites, Metageitnion, takes its name from the festival of Metageitnia, a solar festival celebrating the sun’s passage from West to East and the beginning of the year’s short planting season. In the days preceding the festival, villages typically fly gilded kites which are released as a part of the festival. Metageitnion marks the high point of the pilgrimage season, as Triumthelite faithful are encouraged to visit one of the four great holy sites during the month’s long summer days.
3. The Month of the Streaming Ribbons, Beodromion, marks the final days of summer and the coming of approaching labor brought on by the harvest. Drawing its name from the festival Beodromia, originally dedicated to Beodromios, the Akanthan god most associated as the helper of lost causes. Although dedication to the god has waned in the modern era, the month still sees red ribbons, upon which wishes are written, tied to objects to flutter in the breeze and attract the attention of nymphs who may grant a particularly interesting wish.
4. The Month of the Boiled Beans, Pyanepsion, marks the beginning of Autumn and a celebration of the bounty of the god Autourgos. The harvest festival of Pyanepsia provides society’s poorest the opportunity to share the god of agriculture’s gifts in the form of public offerings left outdoors and draws its name from the boiled beans left as an offering on the festival’s opening night.
5. The Month of the Benevolent Lord, Amphiterion, is marked by the six-day festival of Amphiteria, where the traditional structure of society loosens; masters provide gifts to their slaves, who see unprecedented levels of freedom during the festival. Honoring the god Amphitrion, the month also sees the civil service examinations that represent social mobility throughout the territories of the Laparan Empire.
6. The Month of the Crashing Waves, Thalassion, features some of the darkest nights and fiercest weather of the year. The festival of Thalassia features a procession to the sea and a ritual libation of wine poured into the waves to placate the goddess found there. Travel, especially sea-borne travel, is typically suspended for the month as conditions are generally considered too dangerous for a safe passage.
7. The Month of the Wedding Feasts, Gamelion, has the unique status of being the only of the twelve standard months that doesn’t draw its name from a specific holiday, referring instead to the wedding feasts that are common in the month’s long winter nights. The month has long been associated with new beginnings, likely a result the gradual lengthening of days that occurs during the month and marks the beginning of the military campaigning season.
8. The Month of the Flower Crowns, Anthesterion, oversees the departure of winter and return of spring, as is evidenced by the festival of Anthesteria, a celebration of spring’s blossoms and the successful planting of the years’s second growing cycle. Dedicated to the god of Agriculture, Autourgos, the month is marked by the second octave’s plant-based diet to celebrate the return of the growing season.
9. The Month of the Wild Growth, Elaphebolion, oversees the explosion of vegetative growth after the first blooms of spring. Traditionally centered around a festival to the goddess of wild beasts, Elaphe, during which large-scale hunts were organized to trim wild populations of excess males, the month of Elaphebolion hosts several sporting events where those eager to showcase their prowess have ample opportunities to do so.
10. The Month of the Newly Born, Mounuchion, is the traditional time during which animals, domestic and wild, give birth to their young and is considered a particularly lucky time for children to be born as well. Parents dote upon their children during the festival of Mounuchia, showering the young ones in sweets and toys as appropriate to their station.
11. The Month of the Heavenly Spheres, Thargelion, is dedicated to the sun and two moons, and is named after the traditional festival Thargelia, which honored the titans whose power kept them in the sky. In more modern times, however, the festival has been replaced by the anniversary of the election of Loukas I Aristenos as Emperor of the Laparans.
12. The Month of the Threshed Grain, Skirophorion, is witness to the final harvest of the year before the scorching rays of the summer sun destroy the crops in their very fields. During the festival of Skirophoria, cultivated fields are plowed with blood meal gathered from the year’s Hekatomb and covered in homespun cloth to protect the bare soil which will lie fallow for the next few months.

The month of Mauvrion draws its name from the darkest winter nights that it contains. No major holidays are held during the month of Mauvrion, as traditional folklore lays the foundation of the month with the Sundering. Children born during the intercalary month are said to be touched by the curse of magic and, therefore, extremely unlucky.

Each of the year’s thirteen months are divided into three eight-day octaves named Rising, Ascendant, and Fading. While most months have dedicated feast days in each of these three octaves, there is no weekday/weekend cycle in the calendar, and festivals are marked on civic calendars on display in most settlements.

Dates are given by counting the days of the given octave in the following fashion:

• The Seventh of Mauvrion Rising (The 7th day of Mauvrion)
• The First of Anthesterion Ascendant (The 9th day of Anthesterion)
• The Third of Hekatombion Fading (The 19th day of Hekatombion)