Being a Muslim country, Saudi Arabia uses 2 calendars: Gregorian and Hijri calendar.
Hijri is a lunar calendar, consisted of 12 months, therefore, 10-11 days shorter than the "western", globally used calendar, so months drift along the year regardless of the seasons.
(For example the month of Ramadan, the ninth month of Islamic calendar, this year falls in the beginning of July when the 4 week fasting begins.)
Hijra, after which the calendar was named, took place in 622 AD and it marks Muhammad's escape from Mecca (Makkah) to Medina (Madinah).
I am now in 1434 AH (anno hegirae).
So, you just add 622, paste the D over the H, and there you have it?
Not quite. Keen mathematician eye will notice that simple subtraction isn't enough, because 2013-1434 does not equal 622, precisely because of those 11 days difference between Gregorian and Islamic calendar.
Anyways, as if it were not complicated enough, Saudi weekend days are Thursday and Friday, which makes the rest of the world compatible with their business hours only 3 days a week. Somehow it doesn't affect their economy much.
Saturday is affectionately called Psychological Monday, Psycho-Monday for friends.
Hijri is a lunar calendar, consisted of 12 months, therefore, 10-11 days shorter than the "western", globally used calendar, so months drift along the year regardless of the seasons.
(For example the month of Ramadan, the ninth month of Islamic calendar, this year falls in the beginning of July when the 4 week fasting begins.)
Hijra, after which the calendar was named, took place in 622 AD and it marks Muhammad's escape from Mecca (Makkah) to Medina (Madinah).
I am now in 1434 AH (anno hegirae).
So, you just add 622, paste the D over the H, and there you have it?
Not quite. Keen mathematician eye will notice that simple subtraction isn't enough, because 2013-1434 does not equal 622, precisely because of those 11 days difference between Gregorian and Islamic calendar.
Anyways, as if it were not complicated enough, Saudi weekend days are Thursday and Friday, which makes the rest of the world compatible with their business hours only 3 days a week. Somehow it doesn't affect their economy much.
Saturday is affectionately called Psychological Monday, Psycho-Monday for friends.
I got confused now...what day is today there and, more important, does your post represents a complain because you have to work also today?
ReplyDeleteBtw, we should start also an Am Dobben 79 calendar, where weeks have 3 days (of course Friday, Saturday and Sunday) and whose duration depends on the Bermuda's happy our interval.
today is saturday and it is first day of the week! yeeeeeey!
ReplyDeleteI vote for a 3 day week: tuesday and thursday, and the rest may be weekend.