Barovian Calendar

The Barovian Calendar was a system of datekeeping peculiar to the county of Barovia. The lunisolar calendar consisted of twelve lunar months of twenty-eight days, each month corresponding to a complete lunar cycle, with an intercalary month inserted every seven years to correct the orientation of the months to the seasons of the 340-day solar year.

The first day of the Barovian calendar was reckoned from the new moon nearest the winter solstice. The months were as follows:

The Barovian Months

1. Lyiuten, "the lengthening moon" (in reference to the lengthening of days after the solstice)
2. Břežen, "the birthing moon" (as Barovian deer, rabbits and other creatures often gave birth during this period, and metaphorically the new spring was being born)
3. Treven, "the budding moon" (as plants began to reëmerge after the winter months)
4. Květen, "the flowering moon" (when fruit trees began to bloom)
5. Červen, "the fruiting moon" (the typical orchard harvest period)
6. Lyipek, "the linden-blossom moon" (referring to the blooming of the linden tree, an important honey plant)
7. Sierpen, "the sickle moon" (the time of harvesting and threshing wheat)
8. Groznik, "the new-wine moon" (the grape harvest and wine-pressing season)
9. Žovten, "the killing moon" (for the shedding of deciduous leaves and the death of many plants and animals at the onset of winter)
10. Listopek, "the corpse moon" (referencing the infertility of the earth)
11. Čežnik, "the frozen moon" (the month most likely for Barovia to receive snow)
12. Sečen, "the bonfire moon" (referencing the ritual fires lit during this period)

The Intercalary Month

Every seven years, it was necessary to include an intercalary month between Čežnik and Sečen, that the latter's bonfire festivals might correctly herald the lengthening of the days. This was:

13. Prožhinek, "the wailing moon" (a period of extended mourning and lamentation during which Barovians sought forgiveness for their sins from Mother Night and made offerings to the Lord of Light to ward off the winter)

The Barovian Week

A Barovian week consisted of seven days, each week corresponding to one phase of the moon, with each quarter-moon falling on the first day of the new week (Luna).

Days of the Barovian Week

1. Luna, "moon-day"
2. Tornik, "second-day"
3. Streda, "third-day"
4. Čvertek "benediction-day"
5. Pátek, "market-day"
6. Subota, "silent-day"
7. Vaskrisenie, "propitiation-day"

=Barovian Dates

Barovians typically related the date in terms of the number of times the day of the week had elapsed during the month, thus the 128th day after the winter solstice in a given year might plausibly be rendered "3 Tornik, Červen, 745," i.e., the third Tornik (the second day of the third week of the month, corresponding with the new moon) of the month Červen (the seventh moon cycle since the winter solstice), of the year 745 (indexing event of the year 1 unknown).