Jewish calendar

A lunisolar calendar in use among Hebraic peoples, reckoning from the year 3761 b. c., the date traditionally given for the Creation.

It received its present fixed form from Hillel II. about 360 a. d. The present names of the months, which are Babylonian-Assyrian in origin, replaced older ones, Abib, Bul, etc., at the time of the Babylonian Exile. Nineteen years constitute a lunar cycle, of which the 3d, 6th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, and 19th years are leap years. The year 5663 [1902-3 a. d.] was the first year of the 299th lunar cycle. The common year is said to be defective, regular, or perfect (or abundant) according as it has 353, 354, or 355 days. The leap year has an intercalary month, and a total of 383 (defective), 384 (regular), or 385 (perfect, or abundant) days. The calendar is complicated by various rules providing for the harmonious arrangement of festivals, etc., so that no simple perpetual calendar can be constructed. The following table gives the months in order, with the number of days assigned to each. Only three months vary in length. They are: Heshvan, which has 30 days in perfect years; Kislev, which has 30 days in regular and perfect years; and Adar, which has 30 days in leap years. The ecclesiastical year commences with Nisan and the civil year with Tishri. The date of the first of Tishri, or the Jewish New Year, is also given for the Jewish years 5661-5696 (1900-1935 a. d.). From these tables it is possible to transform any Jewish date into Christian, or vice versa, for the years 1900-1935 a. d. Months of the Jewish Year.


 1 Tishri . . . . . . 30
 2 Heshvan . . . . .  29 (r. & d.)
                                or 30 (p.)
 3 Kislev . . . . . . 29 (d.) or
                                   30 (r. & p.)
 4 Tebet . . . . . .  29
 5 Shebat . . . . . . 30
 6 Adar . . . . . . . 29 or
                                   30 (l.)
 -- Veadar . . . . .  29
    (occuring only in leap years)
 7 Nisan . . . . . . .30
 8 Ivar . . . . . . ..29
 9 Sivan . . . . . . .30
10 Tammux . . . . . . 29
11 Ab . . . . . . . . 30
12 Elul . . . . . . ..29

Jewish Year       a. d.
-----------------------------------------------------------

5661 p.      begins    Sept.  24, 1900
5662 d.l.    “      “   14, 1901
5663 p.      “      Oct.    2, 1902
5664 r.      “      Sept.  22, 1903
5665 p.l.    “      “   10, 1904
5666 p.      “      “   30, 1905
5667 r.      “      “   20, 1906
5668 d.l.    “      “    6, 1907
5669 p.      “      “   26, 1908
5670 d.l.    “      “   16, 1909
5671 r.      “      Oct.    4, 1910
5672 p.      “      Sept.  23, 1911
5673 p.l.    “      “   12, 1912
5674 r.      “      Oct.    2, 1913
5675 d.      “      Sept.  21, 1914
5676 p.l.    “      “    9, 1915
5677 r.      “      “   28, 1916
5678 p.      “      “   17, 1917
5679 d.l.   begins     Sept.   7, 1918
5680 r.      “      “   25, 1919
5681 p.l.    “      “   13, 1920
5682 p.      “      Oct.    3, 1921
5683 d.      “      Sept.  23, 1922
5684 r.l.    “      “   11, 1923
5685 p.      “      “   29, 1924
5686 p.      “      “   19, 1925
5687 d.l.    “      “    9, 1926
5688 r.      “      “   27, 1927
5689 p.l.    “      “   15, 1928
5690 d.      “      Oct.    5, 1929
5691 r.      “      Sept.  23, 1930
5692 p.l.    “      “   12, 1931
5693 p.      “      Oct.    1, 1932
5694 r.      “      Sept.  23, 1933
5695 d.l.    “      “   10, 1934
5696 p.      “      “   28, 1935

d. = defective year; d.l. = defective leap year; p. = perfect year; p.l. = perfect leap year; r. = regular year; r.l. = regular leap year.