Valley of Aram

Aram, like the areas surrounding it, uses a calendar alternate from the west, though similar. Seven days still exist in a week, but the months of the year alternate back and forth, 29 to 30 days each (Each year containing 354 days), resulting in a twelve month year. Every other year (sometimes multiple years in a row), a month of 30 days is added, with a single day added every five years. These extra months and days are always greeted with great celebration.

The typical twelve month year is as follows:

Winter:
Tabaung (30) | Tagu (29) | Kason (30)

Spring:
Nayon (29) | Waso (30) | Wagaung (29)

Rainy Season
Tawthalin (30) | Thadingyut (29) | Tazaungmon (30)

Summer
Nadaw (29)

Autumn
Pyatho (30) | Tabodwe (29)

Click here for more information on this style of Calendar

Listed below are holidays and information specific to them.

Children’s Day: Tabaung 2nd. The unofficial collective “birthday” for small children under the age of ten.

Winter’s Dance: Tabaung 18th. Based on an old folk tale that the bringer of winter could be intimidated away by raucous dancing, the winter’s dance has become a time for lovers and couples to exchange gifts and revel in each other’s company to stave off the chill.

Warlord’s Day: Nayon 20th; No longer celebrated. The feast of the goddess of war, celebrated by the display of war trophies or prisoners.

Festival of the Equinox: Occurs twice a year, mid-late-Nayon and mid-late-Pyatho. The first equinox of the year belongs to the sun, the second to the moon. Usually celebrated by small parties with a “new years” style countdown to midday, and midnight, respectively.

The Burning Tiger: Waso 30th. This festival thanks the god of fire, who gave the gift to humankind to protect them from dangerous wild animals. It is celebrated with costumes of tigers or leopards (sometimes their skins) and the burning of effigies shaped like wild animals. Large straw effigies can be towering structures seen for miles while they burn.

The Feast of Floods: Tawthalin 1st. The feast of floods is celebrated by beseeching the goddess of the river for her blessings and her mercy during the wet season. A special meal is prepared using fish or animals caught in the river, and a portion is burned and thrown back into it. Some also throw gold coins or small valuables, which may be stolen by careful thieves who dive for them.

The Trickster Carnival: Pyatho 11th; No longer celebrated. The carnival of the trickster god was celebrated with costumes that hid the wearer’s identity, and copious amounts of booze. It led to much mayhem and property destruction and the occasional death.