Calendar

There are two types of calendars used in the continent of Dalu, each with their own origins and systems, typically deriving from the numerical systems and cultures of their original creators. This wiki primarily uses the Xuyanese calendar.

Xuyanese Calendar
The Xuyanese calendar is considered the standard calendar format in Xuyan, Basho, and Minjog. The Khun have also used this calendar since the Fall of the Ezent Guren Empire, as the Khun had no formal calendar beyond marking the periods of winter and non-winter.

The origins of the calendar have been attributed to a well-known folktale regarding the creation of the world. The first thing created in the world was Mount Uulyn, considered by some to be the teet of O-Tochi-Kami. Afterwards, O-Tochi-Kami took a deep breath as she set to work, creating the first wind. From her blood came the rivers. From her hair flew the first bird, the crane. Afterwards her fingertips turned to foxes. Her left eye became the moon and her right eye became the sun. The first woman, the phoenix, emeged from her womb followed by the dragon, the first man. Lastly, her veins spread throughout the world becoming the plants and the roots of the trees, symbolized by the lotus.

Thus, the order of the Years is:

Each age, known as a Year, lasts for 20 years in order to last enough time to represent that which it symbolizes. The end of an entire cycle after 200 years marks the end of an Era. It has been suggested that the length be reduced to half that time, only 100 years in total, but many dislike this idea and it is doubtful to change any time soon.
 * 1) Mountain
 * 2) Wind
 * 3) River
 * 4) Crane
 * Fox
 * 1) Moon
 * Sun
 * 1) Phoenix
 * 2) Dragon
 * 3) Lotus

Within a single individual year, there are 4 called Seasons, each with three loose subdivisions of about four weeks based upon the present part of the Season. Though the subdisions of seasons are not technically separate months, they are often regarded as such. The full order is as follows:

Late Winter
Winter is actually both the beginning and the end of the year. The exact date of the last day of a year is marked as the day before the new moon in Late Winter, with the day of the new moon being the first day of the new year.

Early Spring
Early Spring begins with the first new moon after the new year. It is often still a chilly and sometimes snowy time, especially in the north. It most often serves as a transition period between the biting colds of Winter and the Blooms of Spring.

Mid Spring
Also sometimes known in antiquity as High Spring, this is the middle point of the Season of Spring, with the first day marked as the second new moon in spring. This is typically the height of Spring, where flower begin to bloom and the earth really begins to thaw. This period mostly represents fertility and growth

Late Spring
Late Spring starts with the third, and last, new moon of Spring. This typically marks the rise in humidity and the start of the rainy season for Xuyan. It also starts to gradually get warmer and would be pleasant if not for the suffocating moisture.

Early Summer
Summer starts with the first new moon following Late Spring, and with it comes the humidity. This period is often marked with heavy rain and thunderstorms, causing it to be seen as the birthday of the world to the Khun. They believe that Tenger becomes angry when this time of year comes around, as it is the anniversary of when Gazar left his side and created the world below the sky. To the Khun, thunder is seen as a sign of Tenger's displeasure, and this is their explanation for such.

Mid Summer
Also called High Summer or the Height of Summer, this marks the ending of the rainy season and the beginning of the sweltering heat. The humidity and mugginess still lingers in Xuyan, making the summers quite unbearable.

Late Summer
Starting with the third new moon of Summer, this period is also known Dry Summer. The humidity and moisture of the rainy season gone, evaporated by the increasing heat, this period is marked by dryness and little rain. It's considered an especially tenuous part of the season for farmers, who have to work twice as hard to tend to their crops, all under the sweltering heat. Thus, this period is commonly seen as the most difficult period for farmers.

Early Autumn
Once the third new moon of Summer has passed, Autumn rolls around. This month is considered the most pleasant of the Xuyanese calendar for more reasons than one. First, the weather is the most agreeable of the whole year; it is neither too hot nor two cold, and lacks the humidity of Late Spring. Due to their hard-pressed work during Late Summer, many of the Xuyanese farmers take this part of the season to relax before the upcoming harvests, thus causing the initial association between this part of the year and vacations.

Mid Autumn
Mid Autumn, or High Autumn, begins after the second new moon of Autumn, which is sometimes called the Famine Moon. This period is when the weather starts to cool down a bit and flowers begin to wilt. Animals also begin to hibernate and hide away for the winter, inevitably causing food problems. This time is typically marked by rationing and difficulty.

Late Autumn
Late Autumn is known as Harvest Autumn and is eagerly awaited by the hungry, following the difficult periods of hunger and famine following Mid Autumn. Farmers, too, enjoy this period as they get to reap the fruits of their year-long labor. This time is typically associated with food, bounty, and harvest.

Early Winter
Early Winter begins the first new moon following Late Autumn, or the eleventh new moon of the year. With the food all harvest and stored away for the winter, this time is typically seen as the period for finishing all the work and preparation for the encroaching cold winter. The temperature drops rapidly day by day and frost begins to appear.

Mid Winter
The year ends with Mid Winter, also called High Winter. The cold has moved in with a vengeance and the heavy snows come. Those left unprepared often don't survive the winter. Even those who try their best to be prepared often struggle through the cold regardless. The day of the last full moon of Winter is called the Moon Festival and is one of the most important holidays in Xuyan. The year ends on the day before the new moon following the Moon Festival.

Arazi Lunar Calendar
This calendar is also known as the Imperiyan Calendar, as it has been adapted for use in Strana due to its precision and accuracy. Due to the Arazi faith, there is a very high emphasis on the phases and cycles of the moon. As such, Arazi has developed a lunar calendar based upon around quantifiable astronomy. This calendar also spread to use in Desa Kauma, replacing the Desi Calendar in the beginning of the 3rd Era.

There are 50 full moons in a year, marking the synodic months from full moon to full moon as First Moon to Fifthieth Moon. There are just 29 to 30 days, alternating between the two every other month. 29-day months are known as hollow months, while 30-day months are known as full months. The years are counted numerically, starting with the day of the full moon in year of the calendar's inception as Year 1.

Thus, Arazi dates are able to be measured down to very specific numbers. For example, a specic instance you could say something occured in the 55th Minute of the 12th Hour of the 8th Day of the 6th Hollow Moon of the 683th Year. This means you are precisely referring to 1:55 PM on 8/6/683. Due to its greater accuracy compared to the Xuyanese calendar, some mathematicians and historicans have suggested using the Arazi calendar to mark dates and times of histoical events.

Annual Holidays
There are also regular holidays celebrated all throughout the continent. A majority of the celebrations are festivals of Xuyanese origins, and thus will use the Xuyanese calendar to display them.