Calendar, Jbwish. I. Hebrew Lunar Calendar, of Feasts and Fcwto.— The year of the Hebrews is com- posed of twelve (and occasionally of thirteen) lunar months, of thirty and twenty-nine days alternately. The year begins in autumn as to the civil year, and in the spring as to the sacred year. The Jews had cal- endars ancientiy wherein were noted all the feasts, all the fasts, and all the days on which they celebrated the memory of any great event that had happened to
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the nation (Zech. viti, 19; Esth. yiii, B, in Groc.). These ancient calendars are sometiines quoted in the Talmud (Mishna, Taaniih, 8), bat the rabbins acknowl- edge that they are not now in being (see Maimonides and Bartenora, in loc). Those that we have now, vhether printed or in manuscript, are not very ancient (lee Genebrar. BibUoi, Babinic. p. 819 ; Buxtorf; LeviL Tdbmid. p. 1046; BarUAocd, Bibl, Babbmic, ii, 550; Lamy's Introduction to the Scripture ; and Plantav. /ao- gog.Adibm. ad fin.). That wliich passes for the old- est is Megillatk TaanUA, ''the volume of affliction,'' which contains the days of feasting and fasting here- tofore in use among the Jews, which are not new ob- •erred, nor are they in the common calendars. • We here insert the chief historical events, taken as well fnm this volume, Taauithy as from other calendars. The Jewish months, liowever, liave been placed one lunation later than the rabl)inical comparison of them with the modem or Julian months, in accordance with the conclusions of J. D. Michaelis, in his treatise pub- lished by the Boyal Soc. of Qdttingen. See Month. For the details, compare each month in its alphabetical place. See also Criiiea Biblica, voL iv, and the fol towing formal treatises: Clauder, De forma amd Mo- uicoi>rcpktiica (Vlteb. 1716) ; Dresde, Annus Judcdcu* (lipi. 1766); Hscher, De anno ffebraor, (Viteb. 1710); FelMisen, Be eboiU Judmorvm die (Lips. 1702); Klau- raig, Dt forma amd pairiarcharum (Viteb. 1716) ; R5- idiel, id, (Vlteb. 1692) ; Lanshausen, De mense vett, Hdt. Imiari (Jen. 1718) ; Lund, De memibua ffebrceor, (Abos, 1694); Nagel, De Caiendario vett. jffebrceor, (Altorf, 1746); Selden, De anno ctviU Eebnror, (Loud. 164Q ; Sommel, De anno Hebrcdor. ecdee, et civ, (Lund. 1748); Strauch, De anno ffebrwor. eoektiastieo (Viteb. 1$S5); Von Gumpach, Ueber den aU, JUdi$ch. Kaknder (Brttssel, 1848). See Tms.
ABIE or NISAN. Tie/bnt month of the mered year, the ^nmahmonih of the dtSL fear; U ha» thirty daye^ and anmoere generally to the mm c/JCaboh and Atsil.
Dayl— Newmooo; aikstf<ff the death of the boob of Aaron (Lot. X, 1. 2X 11— A ftet for the death of Miriam, sister of Moees (Num. zx, 1); aim in memory of the scarcity of water that happened, after her death, to the children of Israel in Hye desert of Kadeeh (Sum. zx. 8).
Od this day every one provided hhnself a lamb or a Idd, preparatoiy to the foUovlng Fassorer. 11— On the evening of this day they killed the paschal lamb; thej b^an to use unleavened bread, and ceased fromiOl servile labor. 16k— The solemnity ot the Passover, with Its octave; the im day of unleavened bread, a day of rest; they ate Booe but unleavened bread during eteht days.
After sunset they gathered a sheaf of barley, which they brought into the Temple iMena^Uft v1, 8). Supplication for the reign of the spring (Oeneb.). 16.— On the second day of the feast they offered the bar- ky whidi ^ey had provided the evening before, as the Ihvt-frnits of the harvest; after that time it was allow- ed to put the sickle to the corn. The beginning of harvest. Fran this day they began to count flfty days to Fen-
IL— The oetove of the feast of the Passover; the end of (urieavened bread. This day la held more lolema than the other days of the octave, yet they did not refratai from manual labor on it.
3J.-A &st for the death of Joshua (Josh, xxiv, »).
w.— AUemate of the first new moon of the succeeding month.
The book called MegWath Ta-rntth does not notice any particular festival for the month Nlaan.
ZIP or UAK. ^«i swmd eedeekutiea^ or. eighth oMl month, eontalne ^'WqMrfiw days; eorreeponde to the moon qfAPBiLor May. Db7 t— New mooo.
1— A frst of three days for excesses committed during tke feast of the Passover; that is, on the Monday, Thmday, and the Monday foUowlng iOOendar Barto- lood).
^•— The dedication of the Temple, when the Asmonsans eoosecrated it anew, after the persecutions of the Greeks (HeaiU. T^nnUh, c 9). 1Q.~A fest for the death of the high-prfest Eli, and for ttie eaptue of the aik by the FhiUstinea.
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14.— The second Passover, in fkvor of those who could not celebrate the first, on the 19th of the foregcteg month.
S8.— A feast for the taking of the city of Gasa by Simon Maocabeeus iCalend, Scalig. ; 1 Mace xili, 43. 44) ; or for the taking and purification of the citadel of Jerusa- lem by the Maccabees (Calendar of Sigonius: 1 Mace, xiii, 49, 53 ; xvL T, 86) ; a feast for the expulsion of the Caraites out of Jerusalem by the AsmonsBans or Macca- bees iMeg. Taanith; comp. Txbbth 28).
97.— A feast for the expulsion of the OalilAans, or thoee who attempted to set up crowns over the gates of their temples and of their houses, and even on the heads of thdr oxen and asses, and to sing hymns in honor of false gods. The Blaccabees drove them out of Judsaa and Jerusalem, and appointed this feast to perpetuate the memory of their expulsion (MegiU. Taamth).