Coptic calendar

Part of a series on the
Copts
Culture
Architecture Art Calendar Coptology Cross Fasting History Identity Toponymy Language Literature Coptic Arabic Music Monasticism Names Nationalism Persecution Philosophy Writing system
Regions
Egypt Sudan Libya United States (churches) Canada (churches) Australia (churches) Africa Asia Europe North America South America Diaspora
Denominations
Coptic Orthodox Church Coptic Catholic Church Protestantism Evangelical Church
Christianity portal
v t e

Part of a series on
Oriental Orthodoxy
Oriental Orthodox churches
Coptic Syriac Armenian Indian Cilicia Orthodox Tewahedo Ethiopian Eritrean
Independent churches Coptic: British Syriac: Malabar Independent
Autonomous churches Coptic: French Coptic Orthodox Church Armenian: Constantinople, Jerusalem Syriac: Jacobite Syrian Christian Church
History and theology History of Oriental Orthodoxy: Coptic history Tewahedo history Syriac history Saint Thomas Christians Ecumenical Councils: Nicaea I Constantinople I Ephesus I Ephesus II Ephesus III Dvin I Dvin II Dvin III Dvin IV Manzikert Capharthutha Shirakavan Hromkla Theology: Miaphysitism Oriental Orthodox Theology Non-Chalcedonian Christianity
Liturgy and practices Anaphora & Rites: Alexandrian Rite Anaphora of Saint Gregory Armenian Rite West Syriac Rite Liturgy of Saint James Liturgy of Saint Basil Liturgy of Saint Cyril Malankara Rite Holy Qurobo Calendars: Armenian Coptic Ethiopian Julian Gregorian Bible: Peshitta Coptic Bible Armenian Bible Orthodox Tewahedo Bible Cross: Coptic cross Armenian Cross St. Thomas Cross Ethiopian cross
Major figures Cyril of Alexandria Mor Addai Abgar V Gregory the Illuminator Nine Saints of Ethiopia Tiridates III Mar Awgin Athanasius of Alexandria Ephrem the Syrian Ezana of Axum Frumentius Shenoute Mesrop Mashtots Dioscorus of Alexandria Severus of Antioch Abraham of Farshut Yared Simon the Tanner Gregory of Narek Nerses IV Michael the Syrian Bar Hebraeus Tekle Haymanot Giyorgis of Segla Mar Thoma I Gregorios Abdal Jaleel Geevarghese Gregorios
Related topics Abuna Catholicos Catholicos of India Patriarch of Antioch Maphrian Ethiopian titles Apostolic Church-Ordinance Coptic monasticism Coptic saints Debtera Coonan Cross Oath Ethiopian chant Fast of Nineveh Coptic fasting Tewahedo fasting Timkat
Links and resources Category Media Templates WikiProject
Christianity portal
v t e

This article contains Coptic text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Coptic letters.

The Coptic calendar, also called the Alexandrian calendar, is a liturgical calendar used by the farming populace in Egypt and also used by the Coptic Catholic Church. It was used for fiscal purposes in Egypt until the adoption of the Gregorian calendar on 11 September 1875 (1st Thout 1592 AM).^[1] This calendar is based on the ancient Egyptian calendar. To avoid the calendar creep of the latter (which contained only 365 days each year, year after year, so that the seasons shifted about one day every four years), a reform of the ancient Egyptian calendar was introduced at the time of Ptolemy III (Decree of Canopus, in 238 BC) which consisted of adding an extra day every fourth year. However, this reform was opposed by the Egyptian priests, and the reform was not adopted until 25 BC, when the Roman Emperor Augustus imposed the Decree upon Egypt as its official calendar (although initially, namely between 25 BC and AD 5, it was unsynchronised with the original implementation of the Julian calendar which was erroneously intercalating leap days every third year due to a misinterpretation of the leap year rule so as to apply inclusive counting).^[2] To distinguish it from the Ancient Egyptian calendar, which remained in use by some astronomers until medieval times, this reformed calendar is known as the Coptic or Alexandrian calendar. Its years and months coincide with those of the Ethiopian calendar but have different numbers and names.^[3]

Unlike the Gregorian calendar, the Coptic calendar does not skip leap years three times every 400 years, and therefore it stays synchronised with the Julian calendar over a four-year leap year cycle.^{[4] [5]}