[Wids]

The Calendar of Harptos is the calendar of the Forgotten Realms.

It's easy to reconcile the Calendar of Harptos with our own Gregorian Calendar, as the Calendar features twelve months with 30 days each, the same four three-month seasons and equinoxes and solstices which correspond to our own; add two days to February and subtract a day from those seven 31-day months and the two calendars would match almost exactly. Shieldmeet (the Forgotten Realms' version of Leap Year) takes place in midsummer instead of the end of winter, but that's just about it for the differences.

The in-game Neverwinter Nights calendar and chronometer identifies the months by numbers and not by names. It too uses a twelve-month year, but I've honestly never noticed whether or not each of its months ends on Day 30. If anyone has noticed whether or not the months in Neverwinter Nights each come out to 30 days long (thus matching the Harptos Calendar), please fill me in here.

Either way, it's evidently safe to reconcile the two calendars like so:

January = Hammer (Deepwinter) = Month 1
February = Alturiak (The Claw of Winter) = Month 2
March = Ches (The Claw of the Sunsets) = Month 3
April = Tarsakh (The Claw of the Storms) = Month 4
May = Mirtul (The Melting) = Month 5
June = Kythorn (The Time of Flowers) = Month 6
July = Flamerule (Summertide) = Month 7
August = Eleasias (Highsun) = Month 8
September = Eleint (The Fading) = Month 9
October = Marpenoth (Leafall) = Month 10
November = Uktar (The Rotting) = Month 11
December = Nightal (The Drawing Down) = Month 12

Wids' Possibly Incomplete List of Forgotten Realms Holidays

Common Holidays:
Greengrass (Tarsakh 30 - Mirtul 1)
Shieldmeet (Flamerule 31, once every four years)
Highharvestide (Eleint 30 - Marpenoth 1)
Feast of the Moon (Uktar 30 - Nightal 1)
Midwinter (Hammer 30 - Alturiak 1)


Holidays in Waterdeep (for all you Waterdhavian immigrants...):
Fleetswake (Ches 21 - Ches 30)
Fair Seas Festival (Ches 30, for those who honor Umberlee)
Trolltide (Kythorn 1)
Lliira's Night (Flamerule 7, for those who honor Lliira)
Ahghairon's Day (Eleasias 1)
Auril's Blesstide (whenever the first frost of Winter comes, for those who honor Auril...probably not as immediate--or as likely--in warmer climates.)


Abbathor's Holy Days:
(any day of the solar eclipse)

Aerdrie Faenya's Holy Days:
Dance of Swirling Swords (Ches 19 and Eleint 21, the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes)

Angharradh's Holy Days:
Shieldmeet ("Cinnaeloscor" to the elves) and the Melding of the Three (Flamerule 31, once every four years)

Auril's Holy Days:
Midwinter Night (Hammer 30 - Alturiak 1)
Last Storm (Ches 19)
The Coming (Nightal 20, the Winter Solstice)
Alban Arthan (the night of Nightal 20, the Winter Solstice)

Baravar Cloakshadow's Holy Days
The Cloaking (any night of the new moon)

Berronar Truesilver's Holy Days:
Midwinter Day (Hammer 30)
Midsummer Night (Flamerule 30 - Eleasias 1)

Corellon Larethian's Holy Days:
Shieldmeet (Flamerule 31, once every four years)

Deep Duerra's Holy Days:
The Rallying (Midwinter Eve, Hammer 29)
The Melding (Mirtul 5)

Eldath's Holy Days:
The Greening / Greengrass (Tarsakh 30 - Mirtul 1)

Hanali Celanil's Holy Days:
Secrets of the Heart (any night of the full moon)

Haela Brightaxe's Holy Days:
Greengrass and Time of Spawning (Tarsakh 30 - Mirtul 1)
Axe Held High (date unspecified)
Commemoration of the Fallen and Feast of the Moon (Uktar 30 - Nightal 1)

Ilneval's Holy Days:
Greengrass (Tarsakh 30 - Mirtul 1)

Kelemvor's Holy Days:
Feast of the Moon (Uktar 30 - Nightal 1)

Lurue's Holy Days
Midsummer's Eve (Flamerule 30, apparently)
Feast of the Moon (Uktar 30 - Nightal 1)

Malar's Holy Days
High Hunt (each Equinox and each Solstice)
Feast of Stags (anytime during a harsh winter)

Moradin's Holy Days:
Dwarffather's Blessing (or whatever they call it) (Hammer 1)

The Red Knight's Holy Days:
Midwinter Day (Hammer 30)
The Queen's Gambit (Tarsakh 1)

Rillifane Rallathil's Holy Days:
The Budding (Ches 19, the Spring Equinox)
The Transformation (Eleint 21, the Autumn Equinox)

Sharindlar's Holy Days:
Greengrass (Tarsakh 30 - Mirtul 1)
Midsummer Night (Flamerule 30 - Eleasias 1)

Siamorphe's Holy Days:
Divine Revelry (date unspecified here; let me know if you find it anywhere)

Tempus' Holy Days:
Feast of the Moon (Uktar 30 - Nightal 1)

Umberlee's Holy Days:
First Tide (celebrated whenever the ice breaks up in a harbor. Chaotic deities apparently aren't too big on specifying dates for their holy days....)

Urogalan's Holy Days:
Earthrising (any night of the full moon)

Valkur's Holy Days:
The Shattering (Ches 19 or any other day in early spring; the date tends to vary.)

Yurtrus' Holy Days:
(Any night of the full moon)


This also leads to my next question: The current year in the server's setting is 1367 DR, correct? This detail could be important for several reasons:

1) Determining when the next Shieldmeet is. Noted Shieldmeets have occured--or will occur--in the years 1348, 1352, 1356, 1360, 1364, 1368 and 1372 DR.

2) Determining how much time is left before the Spellplague happens. As far as I can see (from the server's various details), Savras and Mystra are still around, and Cyric has yet to be imprisoned in the Supreme Throne, so the Spellplague probably hasn't taken place yet. Of course, the DM Team could easily say "4th Edition's a dog, so we're not using it, therefore the Spellplague will never happen" and squelch the question right then and there. ;)

3) Determining whether or not certain deities have already been slain or otherwise reduced to dead powers. This would be very important to followers of such deities as Mask, Gorm Gulthyn, Haela Brightaxe, Deep Duerra and most of the drow elf pantheon (including Eilistraee, Kiaransalee, Selvetarm, Vhaeraun and Zinzerena). As Mask continues to be an active part of Thay's society, we obviously haven't reached 1374 DR yet.

Thank you. Discuss if you will. :)

[kta]

First your faux pas with 'Thayvian' and now you even mention the what?! 4th edition?! There is NO such thing. There never will be.

KTA

[Wids]

...therefore, no friggin' Spellplague and other related bad ideas. Gotcha. :D

[The Philosopher]

I would argue that there is, and that the Lore introduced is of rather fine calibre. Even the god-butchery.

Granted, I'd toss 4th Edition rulesets to the bin, I'd just keep the Lore, cannibalize it for all the meats.

[Payne]

Yay! 4E!

[EdinSumar]

4E sucks.

- Edin

[Bertram Anders]

4E! EWW!

[The Philosopher]

You people.

[Wids]

...and about a month later, I realize that I missed Greengrass. :(

I made that a pretty big day back on Pirate Isles last year. They have CEP and equipable flowers on that server, so my Umberlant cleric bought, like, a million roses, tulips and daffodils (after temporarily breaking the "no more than five containers per character" rule and packing about two dozen boxes with flowers), and she just covered Palaggar with flowers. She was handing roses to anyone less wealthy than her (which was pretty much everyone), then everyone on the server ended up sitting around the town's firepit, eating, drinking, swapping stories and being good friends, at least for a day. Which is pretty much what Greengrass is all about. :)

Ah, well. The next holy day should be the next night of the full moon which, unless I'm mistaken, ends tonight. Mirtul 28-30. Oops.

Failing that, there's Midsummer: Flamerule 30 to Eleasias 1. And it just so happens that Sharess' churches celebrate their Endless Revels of Life on every full moon night and every Midsummer. It looks like my Sharessan needs to stock up on meat and wine right away. Stay tuned....

[Hellstrom]

Ok, here's a question for you lore-heads :) - what's the date of the ascension of Velsharoon to godhood? I've got a cleric of Velsharoon and it seems like he should be celebrating that date.

Thanks! :)