Ballic Calendar

The Ballic Calendar is the calendar system used by a large portion of Celesterra, and the system that this encyclopedia is using as standard.

History:
The Ballic Calendar was thought to be invented by the incredibly ancient civilization of the Lucians, thought to have been around -1600 CE. Because almost all information about this civilization is shrouded in myth and all else is the fragmented information of the Balliforth Scrolls, very little is known about the origins of the calendar or the Lucians themself. The original zero date is thought to have been set around the birth or death of a major prophet, although the religion itself is long dead and only fragmented documents have been found that pertain to it. The calendar clearly shows the importance of the number six in Terra Altan culture- six cardinal directions, six elements, hexagonal layout of cities, six seasons, and multiples and divisors of six all the way through the calendar. Fortunately, this makes the math involved very easy in the commonly-used Corintic Numerals.

The Calendar Itself:
The Calendar is based roughly around the progression of the six seasons, forming a year of 360 days. The calendar is broken up according to the six seasons, which are (in order) Vernalis, Medivita, Orsiracticus, Autumnus, Medinex, and Terminoctis. Each of these 'seasons' is 60 days each, and takes up approximately 2 cycles of Lune or approximately one of Selene.

Each of these 60-day seasons are in turn broken up into 5 'weeks' of 12 days each.

The 'zero date' of the calendar, or whichever event was deemed sufficiently significant to be dubbed Year 0, varies from region to region, so the authors of this Encyclopedia have chosen that 0 CE be pegged to the year in which the encyclopedia was founded.

The dates are written "year, season/week/day", so (for instance), Autumnox of 0 CE would fall on the date of 0 CE, 3/5/09, or the ninth day (Tio) of the final week of Osiracticus.

The Names of the Days of the Weeks:
Each of the 12 days in a week is given a name. These were named after each planet and significant object visible in the sky, such as the sun, ring, and moons, which at the time were considered to be gods.

1. -Aurichon (Traditionally considered a Week-End, or day of rest)

2. -Mares

3. -Mierton

4. -Venta

5. -Foren

6. -Lune (Week-Middle, and also a day of rest)

7. -Selene (Week-Middle, day of rest)

8. -Calypsen

9. - Tio

10. - Callinsta

11. - Kende

12. - Neval (Week-End)

Cited Articles: Autumnox

Phantoms: Balliforth Scrolls, Great Arch