ADAR
(uh-DAHR)
The
sixth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew
calendar Common
clues:
Hebrew
month; Purim's month; Month after Shevat; Month before Nisan;
Sixth Jewish month Crossword
puzzle frequency:
4 times a year Video: The
Story of Purim
Adar
is the sixth month of the ecclesiastical year and the twelfth
month of the civil year on the Hebrew calendar.
It is a winter month of 29 days. In leap years, it is preceded by
a 30-day month named Adar Alef, Adar Rishon or Adar I and it is
then itself called Adar Shenei or Adar II. Occasionally instead
of Adar I and Adar II, "Adar" and "Veadar"
are used.
A
typical Purim street scene in a Jerusalem neighborhood.
The
Hebrew
calendar
is the annual calendar used in Judaism. Like the Chinese
calendar, it is also a lunisolar calendar, based upon both lunar
months and a solar cycle (which defines its years). This is in
contrast to the Gregorian calendar, which is based solely upon a
solar cycle, or the Islamic calendar, which is purely lunar.
Jews
use this calendar to determine when the new Hebrew months start;
this calendar determines the Jewish holidays, which Torah
portions to read, Jahrzeits, and which set of Psalms should be
read each day.
Jews
have been using a lunisolar calendar since Biblical times, but
originally referred to the months by number rather than name.
During the Babylonian exile, they adopted Babylonian names for
the months. Some sects, such as the Essenes, used a solar
calendar.
This
article is licensed under the GNU
Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia
article "Hebrew calendar"
and Wikipedia
article "Adar".
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