Azerbaijani calendar beliefs are common beliefs about the naming of different times (cosmic periods, years, months, etc.) in Azerbaijani culture.
The formation of the Azerbaijani folk calendar is based on the attitude to nature, the movement of celestial bodies, and agricultural traditions. The transition from winter to spring occurs when the world sleeps, and is celebrated with Novruz holiday. Although Nowruz and Khidir Nabi holidays are celebrated together in different regions of Azerbaijan, the good celebration of one of the holidays is observed with the poor celebration of the other. Chilla night is celebrated on the occasion of the beginning of winter, Sadda holiday is celebrated on the occasion of the transition from Big Chilla to Little Chilla.
In the dialects of the Azerbaijani language, weekdays are referred to as salt, grief, honey, milk days, etc. On the day of ancestors, known as the Name Day, the deceased are remembered, and as a remnant of Shamanism, porridge is consumed.
Cosmic cycles Ivar Lassi, who studied the traditions of Muharram in Azerbaijan, reported that Azerbaijanis believe in the existence of 10 cosmic cycles, each lasting 10,000 years. These cosmic cycles are divided into 12-year solar years. Azerbaijanis believed that the 5th cycle continued into the 1910s.
History of calendars in Azerbaijan Jalali calendar The absence of an exact date of Khizir Nabi holiday, but the celebration of Nowruz holiday on a specific day, is explained by the fact that Nowruz holiday Nowruz was officially incorporated into the Jalali calendar in the 11th century.
The Twelve Animal Calendar
Georgian sources show more of an Eastern (Uyghur-Chagatai) character, and it is possible to encounter the Twelve Animal Calendar dating back to the Mongol period. The term "Siçan ili" used is of Oghuz origin (the word "il" is more precisely of Azerbaijani origin). Certainly, these Oghuz elements should be attributed to local Eastern Ottoman-Azerbaijani influences. In the same way, the word "ilan" used for the year is either of Azerbaijani or Turkish origin.
According to Turkish historian Osman Turan, the calendar with twelve animals still exists in Azerbaijan. In general, the Turkish calendar played an important role in the lives of all Turkic peoples of the Caucasus and was passed on to other peoples in the neighborhood.
The commonly used names are as follows: mouse, ox-cow, tiger, rabbit, dragon (or crocodile and fish), snake, horse, sheep (or goat), monkey, chicken-rooster (or simply bird), dog, pig. Such naming of years is considered "Tarikh-i Turki".
In Azerbaijani folklore, beliefs related to the Turkic calendar are encountered. According to a widespread belief among the people, the nature of the upcoming year, whether it will be good or bad, is associated with the character and traits of the animal named after it. For example, when the year of the snake arrives, they say that the weather will be warm, drought will pass, and relations will not be normal. In the year of the rabbit, the harvest is plentiful, in the year of the dragon (crocodile), there is a lot of rain, in the year of the pig, the weather will be harsh, etc.
According to another calendar myth, fortune tellers who gathered in one place on Novruz gave names to the years, and if the year is based on an animal, people will show the character of that animal. For example, people gnaw and destroy in the year of the mouse, be tolerant in the year of the horse, and fight in the year of the dog. Another myth tells the story that because people confused the years, their rulers named the years after the animals that appeared in front of them.
Turkish calendar In the theoretically existing Turkish calendar (based on lunar years), the 1st month is called Aram, and the last month is called Haqqsabat. The remaining months are named by numbers. An intercalary month is added after the 2nd or 3rd year. This month is called Sivan, which means "crying".
Azerbaijan folk calendar In the Azerbaijani folk calendar, different times (months, periods, holidays or ceremonies) are marked with special names. The formation of the folk calendar in Azerbaijan is rooted in the attitude to nature, celestial movements and agricultural traditions. In the folk calendar, terms such as the month of plowing, the month of migration, the month of vay nene, the month of irrigation, and the month of harvest are used.
According to legend, in ancient times, when the year was divided into months, each month was given 32 days, except for the "Boz" month, which had 14 days. E very month gives 1 day to the Boz month so that the Boz month does not get hurt. Some months give him days again because the Boz month is still short. However, since the Boz month takes days from other months, its days are not similar in terms of weather conditions.
Historically, in places where Nowruz holiday is celebrated with great enthusiasm in Azerbaijan, Khidir Nabi holiday has either not been celebrated or has been poorly celebrated. At the same time, where Khidir Nabi holiday is well celebrated, Nowruz holiday has not been celebrated in an important way. Khidir Nabi holiday is not celebrated in the southern region of the Republic of Azerbaijan and in the plains of the Shirvan area.
Spring When the universe sleeps. It is a mysterious time that marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. It occurs at the moment when the last Tuesday of the year or the night before the Nowruz holiday is transformed into daylight. Rivers, streams, that is, running water, stop for a moment, and then they start flowing again. Nowruz (March 21).The New Year, the arrival of Spring, the awakening of nature, and the beginning of summer agricultural activities. Baca-baca day. It is the first day of Nowruz. Chershenbe sur. It is the first Tuesday after the spring equinox. According to information provided by Adam Olearius, Iranians (meaning Turks in the given example) consider this day unlucky. They refrain from work and the markets are closed. Garayaz (oğlaqqıran, goat-breaker). This period, from the end of April until late spring, about forty days after the beginning of summer, is called "Garayaz" in the folk calendar. Goygavan/Goygovan. It is used in Babek, Shahbuz and Julfa. It is the period when cattle come out of winter. "Goyqavan" means "searching for sky grass, fleeing when the sky falls, and eating the sky." Hefteseyri. In the past, Shirvan used to celebrate the festival of flowers, which was called the Hefteseyri. This holiday begins in Nowruz and was celebrated every Friday for 30–40 days. In the north-west of Azerbaijan, this holiday was celebrated under the name "Rose festival". Sun rituals. If the 3rd and 4th days after Novruz are rainy, people make a doll and sing songs calling for the Sun. Planting month. Spring is the most productive period of a farmer's life. Rain month. This is the name of the first month of the spring season, it comes from the words Nisan and Neysan (April). Nature day. Iranian Azerbaijanis visit nature on the thirteenth day of the new year and celebrate until the evening. Suceddim. It is a tradition to swim in the spring. It is spread in many parts of Azerbaijan and among the Azerbaijanis of Armenia. Green light month. In the mountains and foothills, the month of April is called this. Garıborcu. It refers to the period until April 15. They sing songs about the change from winter to spring, called "The Change of Garı with March". In Ordubad and Shahbuz, the period until April 15, when the weather is cold, is called karnaburt. Terchıkh period. It is the period when new summer grasses grow, and sheep and goats are sheared at night. Kotan (cut) period. It is the period when plowing works are started. They are celebrating the Shum Festival, wishing them a prosperous year ahead. Cut and Kotan holiday. It is held in cüt or kotan time. Lavash or tandir is placed around the neck of the oxen, and the animals are roamed in the field. Sprout (or grass) month. It is the period when gardens are cultivated. Rose age. They celebrated the rose water festival, everyone gave each other rose water in small perfume bottles, and had fun with various singing and ritual games. Grass cutting period. It is held in some regions at the end of the spring season.
Summer
Harvest time. It's early summer. Susepen holiday. Celebrated in the Ordubad region with the arrival of summer. It involves welcoming the sun and sacrificing an animal. Cırhacır period (or dragonfly period). It is the middle month of summer, the reason for the appearance of this name is that due to the intensity of the scorching heat falling from the sky and the drought, dragonflies start to chirp in the lowlands. Abrizagan holiday. Ceremonies related to water were performed on the holiday. With various water containers in their hands and accompanied by music, everyone would gather at the riverside, near a spring, orany water source and play, throw water on each other, and try to push each other into the water. Goradoyan month. A period of the middle month of summer is called. er. During this time, grape clusters slowly start to ripen. Women collect these goras, wash them, pour them into large wooden plates, beat a round river stone with a hammer and extract the water, making abgora (gora water). Gorabishiren month. It takes from Goradoyen to the middle of August. It is the hottest period of summer, when the grapes swell and turn dark. The period of migration from the highlands. The Elat holiday is celebrated on July 26, when Azerbaijani nomads return from the mountains to the plains in Armudlu village of Dmanisi in Georgia. At this time, tents are erected, horse races are held, and bread is prepared. In the summer season, beekeepers also go to the plain. Because special flowers grow above, in cool places. Guyrugdogdu (tail-born or tail-frozen). It is called the second period of summer. It is determined by the appearance of comet-like stars extending from the eastern horizon towards the west just before dawn, and agricultural activities are performed during this period. As early as 1905, Hasan Bey Zardabi wrote in his article "Quyruq doğdu, çillə çıxdı": "If anyone wakes up early in the morning on July 25 (August 7 according to the new calendar) and looks at the sunrise, he will see a group of stars resembling that tail. The time of quyruqdoğdu is from August 6th to 15th. From that period onwards, the weather gradually cools down" Honey moon. The beginning of honey harvesting brings joy to beekeepers. On this occasion, they rejoice, give each other a smile, put honey on their cheeks, and wish for blessings. Elgovan (or the days of breaking burku). It is the last month of summer. During this period, the mist often falls, there is no shortage of fog and drizzle from the mountains. A cold wind blows from early in the morning. Sonay. It is called the last moonlit nights of summer. In the Sonay nights, they make the sound of AVAVA by tapping hands at their mouths, as a call for gathering. Then they gather and play late the moonlight nights. Of the necessarily played games/plays are: Mallaharay and “Bənövşə Bəndə Düşə”. Fig ripening period. In Absheron, the end of August and the beginning of September are called so.
Autumn
Equality of night and day (Paghtigan). In Azerbaijani folk belief, the Moon and the Sun are depicted as lovers. Their love is eternal, but they can never be united, but they can see each other's faces at the equinox. Despite this, they still lose each other without being able to meet. In Azerbaijani villages, various games are played on this night.