Kanun II: Kanun II is the first month in the Syriac/Levantine civil naming sequence and corresponds to January. Common etymologies connect Kanun with a hearth or place of warmth, referring to winter cold and the need for fire. Some details of the etymology remain disputed among sources.
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Syriac calendar
The Syriac/Levantine calendar is a civil solar system that preserves inherited Mesopotamian and Syriac month names across the Levant and Iraq while following the civil Gregorian cycle.
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Calendars, Hijri, Gregorian, Solar Hijri and Syriac date conversion, prayer times, and local and international days and occasions.
Syriac calendar
The Syriac/Levantine calendar is a civil solar system that preserves inherited Mesopotamian and Syriac month names across the Levant and Iraq while following the civil Gregorian cycle.
Definition:
In contemporary Arabic usage, the Syriac calendar is primarily a civil naming system for the solar year. Its month names are widespread in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, and other parts of the Levant. Because the names are usually used with the Gregorian cycle, this page explains their cultural and linguistic background rather than presenting one universally agreed Syriac or Assyrian calculation system.
The names preserve ancient linguistic layers associated with Mesopotamia, Aramaic, and Syriac, and later became established in Levantine Arabic. Several names, including Nisan, Adar, and Tammuz, have clear connections with older regional month traditions, while Kanun and Tishrin are commonly explained through hearth, seasonal, or ordering meanings.
In the modern Levantine civil sequence, the year runs from Kanun II through Shubat, Adar, Nisan, Iyar, Haziran, Tammuz, Ab, Aylul, Tishrin I, Tishrin II, and Kanun I. Some historical Assyrian and Syriac traditions begin the year with Nisan, so the modern civil order should be distinguished from other cultural and ecclesiastical reckoning systems.
The months remain closely associated with climate, agriculture, and the seasons: Adar, Nisan, and Iyar with spring; Haziran, Tammuz, and Ab with summer; Aylul and Tishrin with autumn; and Kanun and Shubat with winter. This seasonal relationship explains their continuing presence in proverbs, local memory, and everyday documents.
The Syriac date (or Syriac solar calendar), whose roots go back to the ancient Aramaic and Babylonian civilizations, is still used in several vital and cultural fields today. Consequently, some meanings and etymologies of its month names may differ across sources, dialects, and traditions; Miqaat therefore presents the most common interpretations cautiously and notes when an etymology is not settled.
There is also no fundamental difference in the astronomical nature or number of days between the Syriac calendar used in the Arab Levant and the Gregorian calendar. Both are solar calendars consisting of 12 months and match exactly in the number of days and the beginnings of the seasons; the main difference lies only in the month names: • Gregorian calendar: It uses Western names such as January, February, and March. • Syriac calendar: It uses old Levantine names with Aramaic and Babylonian roots, such as Kanun II, Shubat, and Adar.
Syriac months (names and meanings):
Shubat: Shubat is the second month and corresponds to February. Traditional explanations connect its name with a root associated with striking or force, describing the severity of cold and winds. Linguistic explanations vary by region and source.
Adar: Adar is the third month and corresponds to March, arriving with the beginning of spring in the civil cycle. The name belongs to ancient Mesopotamian linguistic traditions; some explanations associate it with storms, thunder, or the force of nature during this seasonal transition.
Nisan: Nisan is the fourth month and corresponds to April. In the Levant it is associated with spring, plant growth, and the opening of the agricultural season. Its name belongs to an ancient Mesopotamian naming tradition and is sometimes explained as referring to a beginning or opening.
Iyar: Iyar is the fifth month and corresponds to May. Common interpretations connect it with light, brightness, or flowering, meanings that fit the flourishing spring landscape and longer daylight. The precise etymology varies among sources.
Haziran: Haziran is the sixth month and corresponds to June. Levantine usage associates it with the ripening of grain and the harvest season; some explanations connect the Syriac name with wheat. It therefore has a strong agricultural association with the transition into summer.
Tammuz: Tammuz is the seventh month and corresponds to July, one of the hot summer months. The name comes from an ancient Mesopotamian tradition associated with Tammuz, a mythic figure connected with vegetation and fertility. The name passed into the calendars and languages of the region in several forms.
Ab: Ab is the eighth month and corresponds to August. Ancient Mesopotamian explanations associate the name with intense heat, while other interpretations connect it with grain and fruit. These meanings reflect the month’s position in the hot season and the ripening of crops.
Aylul: Aylul is the ninth month and corresponds to September, marking the beginning of autumn in the Levant. Some Mesopotamian etymologies connect the name with mourning for Tammuz, while modern seasonal use associates it with the retreat of summer and changing weather.
Tishrin I: Tishrin I is the tenth month and corresponds to October. The name combines Tishrin with a term meaning first or earlier, in contrast with the later Tishrin II; it is therefore commonly understood as the first or earlier autumn month. It is a central autumn month in the Levant.
Tishrin II: Tishrin II is the eleventh month and corresponds to November. The second element indicates the later or following month, making it the second autumn month after Tishrin I. This paired naming is preserved in several Syriac and Levantine traditions.
Kanun I: Kanun I is the twelfth month and corresponds to December. Common explanations connect Kanun with a hearth or fire, reflecting the arrival of cold weather and the need for warmth. Kanun I precedes Kanun II in the Levantine naming sequence used with the civil Gregorian cycle.
Uses of the Syriac calendar:
It is used in the Levant and Iraq for civil month names, local documents, media, education, cultural occasions, and popular heritage. It also preserves a linguistic and historical link between modern Arabic usage and older Aramaic, Syriac, and Mesopotamian traditions, although local explanations and etymologies vary. Its main uses can be summarized as follows: • Official civil usage: The names are officially used for the Gregorian months in Levantine Arab countries such as Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine. Examples include Kanun II, Shubat, Adar, Nisan, Tammuz, and Ab. • Agriculture and farming: Farmers in the Levant and Iraq use the names as practical seasonal markers for ploughing, sowing, and harvesting because they are historically associated with climatic and environmental changes, such as the beginning of the agricultural year in Tishrin I during autumn. • Ecclesiastical dating and documentation: Eastern Christian churches, including Syriac Orthodox and Syriac Catholic communities, use the tradition to identify religious occasions, feasts, fasts, and records of patriarchs and saints. • Historical and comparative research: Manuscripts and dates written in Syriac provide an important source for historians studying the Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula, and the emergence of Islam, including accounts contemporary with the Umayyad and Abbasid periods. • Popular weather lore: The names appear in climatic proverbs that anticipate weather conditions, such as the well-known sayings “In Adar, trees blossom and birds grow” and “Ab is blazing hot.”
References
- TQ Magazine. (2017, April 1). January, February, March: Meanings of the Gregorian months.
https://www.tqmagazine.net/Details.aspx?id=339 - Wikipedia. (n.d.). Assyrian calendar.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assyrian_calendar - Wikipedia. (n.d.). Arabic names of Gregorian months.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_names_of_Gregorian_months