From: Steve Davies (steve365@btinternet.com)
Date: Wed Jan 08 2003 - 11:06:54 MST
----- Original Message -----
From: "Harvey Newstrom" <mail@HarveyNewstrom.com>
To: <extropians@extropy.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 07, 2003 5:23 PM
Subject: RE: ramadan
> Wrong. The Islamic lunar calendar is similar to the Jewish lunar
calendar.
> Ramadan does't migrate around the year any more than Hanukkah. The years
> are based on the solar year with the sun traversing a complete circuit
> around the zodiac. The months are based on the moon phases where the moon
> waxes and wanes through a whole cycle. There are usually 12 months per
> year, but sometimes there is a thirteen month in a year, acting like a
> leap-year to keep the calendar positioned with the seasons.
Sorry but this is completely wrong and Spike is right as I know from
personal experience (see my other post). Where did this come from (esp the
bit about the extra month)?
On this point the nature of the Islamic calendar shows its origins in a
society that was largely nomadic. From the religious point of view it has
one very useful function as it prevents festivals such as Eid from getting
attached to pagan seasonal festivals.
Steve D
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