The Jalaali (persian) calendar is used in Iran, it comes from a sum of ancient calendars, one of which is the Zoroastrian model. Its characteristics are the following :

It has 12 months, the 6 first have 31 days, the next 5 have 30 days, the last one has 29 days and 30 for a leap year. It starts on the 21st of march 1374 (Gregorian date).

The months are : farvardin, ordibehesht, khordad, tir, mordad, shahrivar, mehr, aban, azr, day, bahman, and esfand.

A year is a leap year when the vernal equinox in Teheran takes place in the afternoon. Then the following day is the 1st of farvardin. This gives 8 leap years out of approximately 33 years, nowadays the leap years are the years 1, 5, 9, 13, 17, 22, 26, and 30, of a 33 years cycle (this system must be corrected from time to time).

The Jalaali calendar uses a 7 days week which names are : shanb, yeksh, dosh, sehsh, chehar, panj and jomeh.


©Alain Opériol - 1991-2010 (www.encinaal.fr)