Coptic calendar

The Coptic calendar is a liturgical calendar used by the Coptic Orthodox and Coptic Catholic churches. It is also called the Alexandrian calendar, and the Coptic Orthodox Church calls it the Calendar of the Martyrs.

The year

The year has thirteen months: twelve of thirty days each, and a short month of five days, or six in a leap year. The twelve long months keep names that go back to ancient Egypt. A leap year comes every fourth year without exception, as in the Julian calendar.

The year begins on 1 Thout, the feast of Nayrouz, also spelled Neyrouz. That is 29 August in the Julian calendar, or 30 August in the year before a leap year. From 1900 to 2099 it falls on 11 September in the Gregorian calendar, or 12 September in the year before a leap year.

The Coptic Orthodox Church keeps Christmas on 7 January in the Gregorian calendar, which is 25 December in the Julian calendar.

Counting the years

Years are counted from AD 284, the year Diocletian became Roman emperor. The era is called the Era of the Martyrs, and a year in it is marked A.M., for Anno Martyrum.

To turn a Coptic year into a year AD, the Coptic Encyclopedia gives this rule: add 283 for a date from 1 Thout to 31 December, and 284 for the rest of the Coptic year. Its example is the year 1700 A.M., which ran from 1983 into 1984.