Every Day Had a Name
Caption
Every day of the Zoroastrian month had a name: 30 days, 30 divine names, from Ohrmazd on day 1 to Endless Light on day 30. When a day's name matched its month, it became a feast: Mehregan on 16 Mehr, Tirgan on 13 Tir. #Iran #Persian #History
Short takes
Iran's months still carry the old divine names: Farvardin, Khordad, Tir, Mehr, Aban, Azar, Bahman, Esfand. Each month also had a day with the same name, and the Zoroastrian calendar marked that meeting with a feast. Which name-day would you celebrate?
Mehregan fell on 16 Mehr, when the day of Mihr met the month of Mihr. Mihr was the divinity of covenant and light, so the feast celebrated promises kept and the autumn harvest. Tirgan, on 13 Tir, honoured Tishtrya, the star Sirius that brings the rain.
Image description
Infographic titled Every Day Had a Name, on the Zoroastrian calendar, in a rainbow of colours on deep blue. A grid of 30 cards lists each day with its number, name and divinity, from Ohrmazd (Creator) on day 1 to Aneran (Endless Light) on day 30, with small icons such as flame, sun, moon, water drop and wind. Gold cards mark the four Creator days (1, 8, 15, 23); each card is coloured by its divinity's domain, and name tags mark days that share a month's name. A strip lists the 12 months and their matching days. A Sasanian deer-and-moon medallion sits beside panels on 30 names, 360 plus 5 Gatha days, and feasts such as Mehregan on 16 Mehr and Tirgan on 13 Tir.
