Turkish Calendar.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 29, Issue 36, 11 May 1917, Page 2

Turkish Calendar.

The Turks count their day from sunset (twelve o’clock) to the next sunset, dividing the twenty-four hours into twelves, as we do. .This is plain sailing, but unfortunately sunset does not fall at the same hour day after day, and there ensue horrible complications to the innocent European. By way, presumably, of jest, the Turkish steamers follow Turkish and their failways Frankish time. Probably many a good man has ended his life in a lunatic asylum aftex a frantic attempt to reconcile the two. The pampered rich have watches specially constructed with two dials,, one showing each time.

Apparently solne enterprising Osmanli thought that the Turkish calendar erred on the side of simplicity, and kindly invented a new complication. The Mohammedan year dates from the Plight of the Prophet in the seventeenth century ; each year the first month, Mahairan, comes eleven days earlier, so the- months do not mark the season like ours.

There is one more section for the benefit of the Turkish peasant, who in his rural retreats knows nothing of months. For him the year is composed of two seasons : Hidralis, beginning on May 6th, and Kassin, beginning November 7th ; so to him April 20th is the 164th day of Kassin.