First of three parts.
Most people have a preferred number in his/her life’s calendar.
The most widely used calendar, by all nations and for official references, is the Gregorian calendar. But some nations prefer and use different calendars.
Most Muslim countries use a religious lunar calendar called Hijri. In Iran, three different calendars were used — solar Shamsi, lunar Hijri and Gregorian. But since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the government has used the lunar calendar.
It is a headache to work on Iranian historical research for this reason:
In the old documents, some events only are mentioned in Shamsi dates, and others use Hijri or Gregorian!
I have made a reference chart for my research, putting together all three calendars to ease my work.
The Hebrew calendar is a lunisolar calendar, which Jews use for religious purposes, such as reading Torah portions, Psalms, to commemorate the death of a relative and many more occasions.
It is evident that the lunar and Gregorian dates do not fall on the same days every year. I should mention that in the Jewish calendar, days start at sunset and end at sunset.
There are many important dates in my life’s calendar; like the births, weddings, graduations and anniversary dates of our children and loved ones.
I do not have a preferred number in the calendar.
For me, it is like colors. Each one has its own place and importance. Sometimes, though, life’s events make that number special in a meaningful way.
My daughter Mabelle, was born on Sept. 1 in Paris, just minutes past midnight. (She was due for Aug. 25.) So Sept. 1 is one of the happy dates in my life that reminds of our first child’s birth day.
Av, is the 11th month of the Jewish calendar. It is considered a sad month because both holy Temples and many tragedies have occurred in this month. Av means “father” in Hebrew. So regardless of our sadness and mourning in the month of Av, we keep our hope that our Father in heaven is there to comfort and console us.
The new month of Elul starts, after the sun sets, on the 30th of Av. So the evening of Av 30, is called “Rosh Chodesh, Erv Elul,” a happier month because Av has finished and we look forward and start preparing for the approaching holidays.
When Mabelle was born on the first of September, the Hebrew date was not in the month of Av. But 20 years later, the 30th of Av, and the first of September fell together in the same day. Maybe we can call it a “union.”
(To be continued)
Dr. Rosemary Hartounian Cohen, who lives in the Fairfax District, received her Ph.D in sociology from the Sorbonne in Paris. She lived in two other countries before moving, with her husband and four children, to Los Angeles in 1984. She has published four books in America. Since 1985, she has operated Atelier de Paris, an international art business, on Robertson Boulevard. Her email address is Rosemary@atelierdeparis.com
