Division of Time
The Hautherian calendar follows an approximate solar cycle of 360 days per year divided into twelve months of thirty days, each day being twenty-four hours long, each hour being sixty minutes long, and each minute being sixty seconds. Each month is divided into four seven-day weeks. The two extra days of the month, on the first and sixteenth, precede a fortnight and are often holidays or designated for practical functions. Every four years there is an additional day added to the end of the calendar year to adjust for the extra quarter of a day that is unaccounted for in the regular calendar.
Days of the Week
As one will see, the days of the week were influenced by the four natural elements (water, air, earth, and fire) and the three observable celestial bodies (sun, moon, and stars). No one is quite sure where these names or their accompanying traditions of veneration came from, since none of them seem to match any customs or traditions of any race in Hauther. This has led to the general consensus that they must be a holdover from the Ancients’ time. During the Thyrellan empire, there was a push to rename the days, especially the holy day, after aspects of Daeism, but the traditional names were too entrenched to change, so the Daeist church abandoned the idea. However, they have maintained that the daily prayer for each day is sacrilegious, although many Hautherians do so anyway, often in the name of Daeus.
Sunday
The first day of the week and the only rest day, Sunday was considered a holy day even before the advent of Daeism. On this day, the traditional veneration involved speaking some sort of short prayer to the sun at midday. The prayer is spoken to thank the sun for rising and to beseech it to continue throughout the rest of the week. The Daeist church has supplanted the sun with Daeus and holds mass during midday to displace the heathen prayer.
Moonday
The second day of the week, Moonday is named after the moon. The traditional veneration on this day involves speaking a short prayer to the moon at night. The prayer is spoken to praise the moon for providing a beacon of light within the darkness of night and beseech it to continue until the following Moonday. In recent times, Moonday has also considered the craftsmen’s day because this is the day people usually seek out craftsmen to buy their goods, commission work, or repair items in preparation for the work week ahead.
Tidesday
The third day of the week, Tidesday is named after the movement of the oceans and lakes. The traditional veneration on this day typically involves speaking a short prayer in front of a large body of water or a large vessel of water. A farmer’s prayer may thank the tide for it’s rain fall (as it is believed that the movement of the tide causes a gyration of air in the sky that squeezes water out as rain) and beseech the tide to continue providing favorable rain fall. A Seafarer’s prayer is spoken to thank the tide for favorable seas and beseech it to remain favorable. In recent times, Tidesday has become the day of public court, town meetings, executions, or other public government affairs. Also, this day has become the usual general assembly day in guildhalls and other public organizations.
Windsday
The fourth day of the week, Windsday honors the power of the wind. Traditional veneration of Windsday usually involves a short prayer spoken into the wind. Like Tidesday, a farmer’s prayer will thank the wind for favorable conditions and beseech it to remain calm, meaning no stormy weather. Seafarers typically pray for favorable wind as they do for favorable seas. Windsday is also the day people buy goods at the open markets. Although the markets are open daily, this is the day the markets reach their full capacity of buyers and sellers. This tradition began because in the past, it took farmers up to two days (Moonday and Tidesday) to reach the cities with their crops to sell, thus making Windsday the day to buy the freshest produce. Over time, other merchants took advantage of this surge in customers, adding to the market activity.
Earthday
The fifth day of the week, Earthday honors the earth underfoot and high on mountain peaks. The traditional veneration involves speaking a short prayer to a hand full or pinch of earth. The prayer usually thanks the earth for providing crops with sustenance to grow and to beseech it to continue providing throughout the week. Those expecting to travel also offer prayer on this day to thank the earth for providing safe roads and pathways and to beseech it to continue offering them. Earthday has also become the rest day for house servants. Some servants receive half of this day off and then another half of the day on Sunday, while others work a full day on Sundays and receive the entire Earthday off.
Fireday
The sixth day of the week, Fireday is named after the power of fire. Fire is considered an essential element that provides sustenance in the form of heat with which to cook and protection in the form of light with which to see. Prayers are spoken to an open flame to thank fire for it’s lifesaving properties and to ask it to continue providing such properties throughout the week.
Starsday
The seventh day of the week, Starsday is named in honor of the countless stars dotting the firmament. The Celestials, embodied in the stars, are considered the bearers and guardians of all knowledge, known and unknown, past and future. Naturally, Starsday is considered the best day for prognostication of all kinds. When a person suddenly finds a bit of knowledge slipped into his mind, such as a name of a person they were trying to remember but couldn’t immediately recall, it is usually attributed to the generosity of the Celestial who shared it. Therefore, traditional veneration on this day is a prayer spoken to the night sky thanking the Celestials for safeguarding and sharing their knowledge and beseeching them to continue for the following week. Although Starsday is a work day, it has become more like a half-day or wrap-up day where businesses work lightly, conclude their weekly business, and close early. This had led to an unofficial tradition of Starsday nights being times of food, wine, song, revelry, and games.
New Month’s Day and Mid Month’s Day
These two days, usually referred to as just New Month and Mid Month, are the first and the sixteenth of each month respectively. These days are reserved for holidays, festivals, and other matters of public events. These days are considered extra rest days, so many businesses are closed or have shorter hours, but since they are usually used for special events, most people don’t rest much. Refer to the calendar below for the special events of each month on these days.
All Spirit’s Day or Day of the Dead
This is the day that is inserted into the calendar once every four years to make up for the extra unaccounted quarter of a day each year. This day is considered a rest day, though no one really rests on this day because it is believed to be the day when the doorway to the spirit world is open and spirits, good or evil, terrestrial or celestial, can come out to haunt the living. The day is relatively quiet, since it is close to the midwinter solstice, but when dusk comes, superstitious families huddle down in their homes or churches and pray to ward off the spirits. This day is so reviled or feared that it was placed in it’s own month so as not to insult the celestial namesakes of the other months.
Months of the Year
The months in the Hautherian calendar are named ofter the Celestials, believed to be the bearers and protectors of all knowledge who reside in the night sky. Each Celestial is represented by a grouping of stars at night, and depending on the religion or beliefs of the onlooker, each plays a different role on mortal lives. Generally speaking, traditional belief is that those born during the month of certain Celestial is prone to certain personality traits, as explained below. To make it easier for the player to relate to the time of year in Hauther, a real-world date comparison is given in parentheses.
1. Capricon (December 22 – January 19)
Birth traits: Determination, Dominance, Perseverance, Practicality, Willfulness
1st – Winter Solstice Festival
16th – Seminary Nominations
2. Aquarius (January 20 – February 18)
Birth traits: Knowledge, Humanitarianism, Seriousness, Insightfulness, Duplicity
1st – Celestial Day
16th – Seminary Inductions
3. Pisces (February 19 – March 20)
Birth traits: Fluctuation, Depth, Imagination, Reactiveness, Indecisiveness
1st – Bardsmeet
16th – Vernal Equinox/Spring Wedding Day
4. Aries (March 21 – April 19)
Birth traits: Activity, Demand, Determination, Effectiveness, Ambition
1st – Artisan’s Bazaar
16th – Day of Tithing
5. Taurus (April 20 – May 20)
Birth traits: Security, Subtle Strength, Appreciation, Instruction, Patience
1st – Spring Planting Festival
16th – Matriarch’s Day
6. Geminon (May 21 – June 20)
Birth traits: Communication, Indecision, Inquisitiveness, Intelligence, Changeability
1st –
16th – Patriarch’s Day
7. Canceron – (June 21 – July 22)
Birth Traits: Emotion, Diplomacy, Intensity, Impulsiveness, Selectivity
1st – Summer Solstice Festival
16th – The Athelon
8. Leon (July 23 – August 22)
Birth traits: Rulership, Warmth, Generosity, Faithfulness, Initiative
1st – Day of Remembrance
16th – Alderman Nomination
9. Virgon (August 23 – September 22)
Birth traits: Analysis, Practicality, Reflection, Observation, Thoughtfulness
1st – Alderman Confirmation
16th – Winefest
10. Librus (September 23 – October 22)
Birth traits: Balance, Justice, Truth, Beauty, Perfection
1st – Autumnal Equinox/Autumn Wedding Day
16th – Day of Charity/Brotherhood/Cooperation
11. Scorpius (October 23 – November 21)
Birth traits: Transience, Willfulness, Purpose, Resolve
1st – Autumn Harvest Festival
16th – All Saints Day
12. Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21)
Birth traits: Philosophy, Motion, Experimentation, Optimism
1st –
16th – Day of Penance/Absolution
13. Ophiuchus (An extra, one-day month every leap-year)
Birth Traits: Revolution, Seeker, Passion, Vivid Dreams
1st – All Spirit’s Day or Day of the Dead (see above)
Accounting of Years
Before the Thyrellan empire, there were a number of different accountings of the years by each tribe. Once the Thyrellans conquered Hauther, they imposed their calendar, which has come to be the accounting generally adopted by Hautherians today. According to the Thyrellans, the accounting of years began on the day the Ancients disappeared, but there are many scholars who argue that this accounting is off by centuries or even millennia. The Nokhen have their own accounting, of which they retain, but the Errow have had no choice but to adopt the Hautherian account since they have lost nearly all of their heritage.
Traditionally, the Thyrellan church, now known as the Daeist Church or Church of Daeus, names the upcoming year according to the predictions made by clerical diviners. The exact process is a secret, but it is generally known that the church chooses which diviner’s predictions seem most lucid and unambiguous, and then names the upcoming year according to the Celestial from whom the diviner received the prognostication. On occasion, names of years repeat. This is to be expected since there are only so many known names for the Celestials. When this occurs, the Church simply adds another year to the name. For example, presently it is 1054, the Eighth Year of Garibalus. This means that there were seven other years of Garibalus in the past throughout recorded time, though not necessarily in succession.