Secular Altierran calendar
When the English settlers first entered Altierra, they had no idea of the geography of the new land and whether the year differed from Earth. So they created a calendar based on the moon, with each week marked by the phases of the moon. It meant that the calendar was flexible but that was not a problem. They used the winter solstice to start the year since it was close to both Christmas and the traditional New Year.
When the Spanish settlers arrived, the calendar was already well established so they simply changed the name of the months while keeping the structure.
Summary
The new year begins on at the Winter Solstice. Each month begins on the day of the full moon so the actual New Year is the closest full moon to the Winter Solstice.
The month is either 29 or 30 days. Each year has either 12 or 13 months.
Months
| Num | Name | Earth months | Name meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Umbral | December/January | Shadow | Winter solstice |
| 2 | Heladal | January/February | Frosts | |
| 3 | Despertal | February/March | Waking (the fields) | |
| 4 | Lluvial | March/April | Rain | Vernal Equinox |
| 5 | Pastoral | April/May | Shepherd | |
| 6 | Vineal | May/June | Vines | |
| 7 | Solanal | June/July | Sun | Summer Solstice |
| 8 | Granal | July/August | Grain | |
| 9 | Leónal | August/September | Lion (constellation) | |
| 10 | Cosechal | September/October | Bounty | Autumnal Equinox |
| 11 | Caminal | October/November | Road (travel for trading) | |
| 12 | Hogaral | November/December | Hearth | |
| 13 | Olvidadal | — | Forgotten | Extra month |
Weeks
The month is divided into four weeks, the start of which is marked by moon phases: full moon, first half moon, new moon and second half moon. Because the month is 29 or 30 days, the week varies from 7 to 8 days.
For most people, there is no difference in the days of the week but, where a person has the time and money to, they treat the first day of the week as a special day: to rest and observe rituals.