Kalenda ya Misri ya Kale

Kalenda ya Misri ya Kale ilikuwa kalenda ya jua yenye siku 365 inayoendelea kutumiwa hadi leo katika Kanisa la Kikopti na pia na wakulima wa Misri.

Mwaka uligawiwa kwa majira matatu ya siku 120 kila moja, pamoja na kipindi cha nyongeza cha siku tano kilichotazamwa kuwa nje ya mwaka wenyewe.

Majira 3 ya mwaka yalifuata hali ya Mto Naili, yaani

• majira ya mafuriko (takribani Juni hadi Septemba)
• majira ya kutokea upya kwa nchi kavu (takribani Oktoba hadi Januari)
• majira ya mavuno (takribani Februari hadi Mei)

Ilhali Misri ni nchi yenye mvua kidogo mno, mafuriko ya kila mwaka yaliyoleta kutoka Ethiopia maji pamoja na matope yenye rutuba yalikuwa msingi wa kilimo katika bonde la Naili hadi lilipojengwa Lambo la Assuan mnamo 1960-1970.

Majira yaligawiwa kwa miezi minne yenye siku 30. Hii miezi 12 hapo awali ilitajwa kwa namba lakini baadaye ilijulikana pia kwa majina ya sherehe zake kuu. Kila mwezi uligawanywa katika miongo mitatu ya siku 10.

Mwaka huo ulikuwa mfupi kuliko mwaka wa jua kiasi cha karibu robo siku. Kalenda ya Wamisri ilipoteza karibu siku moja kila baada ya miaka minne kulinganishwa na Kalenda ya Gregori. Hali hiyo ilitambuliwa kama hasara, lakini majaribio ya kusahihisha kasoro kwa kuongeza siku ya sita ya nyongeza kila baada ya miaka minne yalishindikana kutokana na upinzani kwa viongozi wa dini.

Sahihisho liliwezekana tu wakati Misri ilipotawaliwa na Dola la Roma chini ya Kaisari Augusto mnamo mwaka 24 au 25 BK.

Kalenda ilianzishwa mapema wakati wa milenia ya 3 KK. Wataalamu wa Misri ya Kale walitambua kwamba nyota ya Shira (Sirius) ilianza kuonekana angani kila mwaka wakati huohuo kama kutokea kwa mafuriko ya Mto Naili. Hivyo tarehe ya kuonekana kwa Shira mnamo 19 Juni ilikuwa siku ya mwaka mpya wakati kalenda ilipoanzishwa; ila tu, kutokana na ufupi wa mwaka wa Kimisri, Shira ilianza kutokea kabla ya siku ya mwaka mpya.

Tangu masahihisho yaliyofanywa chini ya Kaisari Augusto, kalenda iliendelea sambamba na Kalenda ya Juliasi ya Waroma. Pia baada ya uvamizi wa Waarabu na kuenea kwa Uislamu iliendelea kutumiwa na Kanisa la Kikopti kwa kupanga liturgia na sikukuu zake.

Pia wakulima wa Misri, wakiwa Wakristo au Waislamu, waliendelea kutumia kalenda hiyo kwa kukadiria kazi zao zilizotegema majira ya mafuriko ya mto Naili.

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• Detailed information about the Egyptian calendars, including lunar cycles
• Date Converter for Ancient Egypt
• Calendrica Includes the Egyptian civil calendar with years in Ptolemy's Nabonassar Era (year 1 = 747 BC) as well as the Coptic, Ethiopic, and French calendars.
• Civil, ver. 4.0, is a 25kB DOS program to convert dates in the Egyptian civil calendar to the Julian or Gregorian ones