Seasons and Hermetic Dates - Revision history

AndrewG: Made the point of view more general

2012-11-25T18:34:21Z

Made the point of view more general

AndrewG: Updated New Year's day

2012-11-25T18:32:18Z

Updated New Year's day

AndrewG: /* Hermetic New Year */

2011-12-10T21:05:32Z

Hermetic New Year

AndrewG: Medieval New Year was March 25

2011-10-01T00:59:20Z

Medieval New Year was March 25

AndrewG: Initial version

2011-06-27T23:24:54Z

Initial version

New page

It's a small matter, but often it comes up in Ars Magica that it matters exactly when a season begins and ends. To avoid confusion and aid role-playing I present this quick guide.

= Seasons and Quarter-Days =

All seasons begin on a quarter-day (an equinox or solstice). The quarter-day is considered to be the ''first'' day of the season, and the day begins at sunrise for magical and ritual purposes.

* The Winter season begins on the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice/ winter solstice], approximately Dec. 21 or 22
* The Spring season begins on the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernal_equinox vernal equinox], approximately March 20 or 21
* The Summer season begins on the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_solstice summer solstice], approximately June 21 or 22
* The Autumn season begins on the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autumnal_equinox autumnal equinox], approximately September 22 or 23

= Hermetic New Year =

I view the Order of Hermes as a medieval organization, not a classical one. Therefore it adheres to the same Julian calendar as the Mythic Church and the rest of Christendom, which places New Year's Day on January 1. This means the new year occurs ''during'' the Winter season and therefore each Winter season is properly described by noting the two years it spans, e.g. Winter 1220-1221.

= Astrological Months =

It is often useful to magi to time their rituals and laboratory work to coincide with astrological events. The most prominent of these are the sun entering a new sign of the Zodiac (though the lunar Zodiac is only slightly less important). See the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_%28astrology%29#Sun_sign_dates Sun sign dates] at Wikipedia for a table that says when each astrological sun sign begins and ends.

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 = Hermetic New Year =
-I view the Order of Hermes as a medieval organization, not a classical one. Therefore it adheres to the same Julian calendar as the Mythic Church and the rest of Christendom. While the Romans celebrated New Year's Day on January 1, medieval Englishmen started the new year on the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feast_of_the_Annunciation Feast of the Annunciation] (March 25). The Stonehenge Tribunal follows local convention, so the new year begins near the start of spring (rather than in early winter).
+I view the Order of Hermes as a medieval organization, not a classical one. Therefore it adheres to the same Julian calendar as the Mythic Church and the rest of Christendom. While the Romans celebrated New Year's Day on January 1, medieval people in many countries started the new year on the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feast_of_the_Annunciation Feast of the Annunciation] (March 25). If the local Tribual follows the convention of the mundanes in its region, the new year begins near the start of spring (rather than in early winter). (Official Ars Magica products are silent on this detail.) In the [[Saga of Stranggore]], we use March 25 as the new year's date.
 Technically, the first few days of the Spring season (approximately March 20-25) fall in the old year, and so Spring spans the year boundary. The overlap is only a few days, so the Spring season is associated with the new year which begins during its span. For example, the Spring season spanning March 20, 1193 to June 21, 1194 would be considered Spring of 1194 -- even though its first few days were the last days of 1193.

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 I view the Order of Hermes as a medieval organization, not a classical one. Therefore it adheres to the same Julian calendar as the Mythic Church and the rest of Christendom. Unlike the modern (Gregorian) calendar, New Year's Day falls on March 25.
-Technically, the first few days of the Spring season (approximately March 20-25) fall in the old year, and so Spring spans the year boundary. The overlap is only a few days, so the Spring season is associated with the new year which begins during its span. For example, the Spring season spanning March 20, 1194 to June 21, 1194 would be considered Spring of 1194 -- even though its first few days were the last days of 1193.
+Technically, the first few days of the Spring season (approximately March 20-25) fall in the old year, and so Spring spans the year boundary. The overlap is only a few days, so the Spring season is associated with the new year which begins during its span. For example, the Spring season spanning March 20, 1193 to June 21, 1194 would be considered Spring of 1194 -- even though its first few days were the last days of 1193.
 = Astrological Months =
 It is often useful to magi to time their rituals and laboratory work to coincide with astrological events. The most prominent of these are the sun entering a new sign of the Zodiac (though the lunar Zodiac is only slightly less important). See the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_%28astrology%29#Sun_sign_dates Sun sign dates] at Wikipedia for a table that says when each astrological sun sign begins and ends.