Canthan calendar
From Guild Wars Wiki
The Canthan Empire uses its own dating system for strictly internal and local affairs. When dealing with outsiders such as the Tyrians of the northern kingdoms, most Canthans can easily convert from the mathematically sound Canthan calendar to the more commonly used Mouvelian dating system. The Mouvelian calendar begins counting years from the moment the gods left Tyria, an event known as the Exodus; years are labeled BE (Before the Exodus) or AE (After the Exodus). In Cantha, the years are counted from the date the clans unified into the Empire of the Dragon under Lord Emperor Kaineng Tah: the year 510 BE according to the Mouvelian calendar. The years before this date are not considered important enough to number, and are simply referred to as the early, middle, or late pre-imperial era.
| Mouvelian Seasons | Canthan Months |
|---|---|
| Season of the Zephyr (Air aligned) days 1-90 | Changhai Zhoyo Nongkam |
| Season of the Phoenix (Fire aligned) days 91-180 | Zalfawn Saita Mikan |
| Season of the Scion (Water aligned) days 181-270 | Nemnai Beibacah Suzhen |
| Season of the Colossus (Earth aligned) days 271-360 | Yundinfang Songtahn Kainengtah |
[edit] Months and Seasons
Unlike the Mouvelian calendar, which divides the 360-day year into four seasons aligned with the elements, the Canthan calendar—also 360 days—is broken into 12 months of 30 days each. Each month once aligned perfectly with the cycles of the moon, but over time the two cycles have diverged. Today, the new moon usually appears roughly halfway through any given Canthan month.
Most months of the Canthan calendar have names whose origins are lost to history and predate the empire by centuries. Only two—Changhai and Kainengtah—have relatively recent origins. These months, which bookend the Canthan year, are named for the two most celebrated emperors in Canthan history: Kaineng Tah, the Lord Emperor who united the Canthan clans; and Chang Hai, a prince who followed the path of the hero and became Ascendant before taking the throne. Chang Hai became the first of many such “Ascendant Emperors.”
[edit] Notes
- The Canthan Calendar has no precise means of recording dates before 0 CC. Instead, events are grouped loosely into the Early, Middle and Late Pre-Imperial Eras.
- The Canthan New Year festival uses the lunar new year, however it is strongly implied that the Canthan Calendar does not due to the direct conversion between Canthan Calendar, Mouvelian Calendar and Dynastic Reckoning dates in the timeline, and the correspondance between Canthan Calendar months and Mouvelian Calendar seasons.
