Althian Calendar

The Lunar Calendar

The lunar calendar's months are named after the different full moons in the year, with each month starting the day after the next new moon. This tiny crescent that appears in the sky is referred to as an "Archer's moon," and occurs on the first day of each month.

Months alternate between being 29 and 30 days long, sometimes referred to respectively as "hollow" and "full" months. (The alternation is not perfect; sometimes there are two 30-day-long months in a row.) The same goes for years - years that don't contain a blue moon are "hollow" years, while those that do contain a blue moon are "full" years. Approximately four times a century, there ends up being a second blue moon in the year. These years that contain two blue moons are referred to as "deep" years, with the second blue moon being referred to as a "deep moon."

The date of the new year is based on the seasons, so its lunar date moves each year. The lunar calendar runs as follows:
Wolf Moon - begins on the first new moon on or after the winter solstice (New Year's)
Snow Moon - second new moon of the year
Worm Moon - the third new moon of the year
Pink Moon - the first new moon on or after the spring equinox
Flower Moon - the second new moon after the spring equinox
Strawberry Moon - the third new moon after the spring equinox
Buck Moon - the first new moon on or after the summer solstice
Sturgeon Moon - the second new moon after the summer solstice
Corn Moon - the third new moon after the summer solstice, marks the beginning of harvest season
Hunter's Moon - the first new moon on or after the autumn equinox
Beaver Moon - the second new moon after the autumn equinox
Cold Moon - the third new moon after the autumn equinox
Blue Moon - a blue moon occurs whenever there is one too many new moons to fit in a season. For example, if there are four new moons in between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, the last of these would be a "blue moon." This is what shifts the lunar calendar so that it stays somewhat in sync with the seasonal/solar calendar.

The Seasonal Calendar

The seasonal calendar, on the other hand, is likely easier for us to wrap our heads around. It runs based on the solstices and equinoxes throughout the year, and the dates correspond fairly well to specific dates in the Gregorian calendar. As one might observe, the seasonal calendar aligns with the Pagan seasonal holidays and the Wiccan wheel of the year. Both of these are also based on the seasons and their changes, and canonically Althia's calendar gets some influence from these.

Exact names of some of these are pending; I'm still deciding how much Celtic and Germanic folk beliefs have influenced the peoples of Althia.
Winter Solstice - December 21st, this is considered the start of the new year since the days are now beginning to get longer
Winter Quarter (Midwinter) - February 3rd, the same date is Imbolc
Spring Equinox - March 21st, the same date as Beltane
Spring Quarter (High Spring) - May 1st, the same date as Beltane
Summer Solstice (Midsummer) - June 21st, the halfway point of the year; from this date on, the days begin to get shorter until the next winter solstice
Summer Quarter (First Harvest) - August 1st, also known as Lammas or Lughnasa
Autumn Equinox - September 22nd
Harvest (autumn quarter) - October 31st, the same date as Samhain