ADAR (uh-DAHR)
The
sixth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew
calendar
Common
clues:
Hebrew
month; Purim's month; Month after Shevat; Month before Nisan;
Sixth Jewish month
Crossword
puzzle frequency:
2 times a year
Video: The
Story of Purim
Adar is the sixth month of the ecclesiastical year and the twelfth month of the civil year on the Hebrew calendar. It is a winter month of 29 days. In leap years, it is preceded by a 30-day month named Adar Alef, Adar Rishon or Adar I and it is then itself called Adar Shenei or Adar II. Occasionally instead of Adar I and Adar II, "Adar" and "Veadar" are used.
A
typical Purim street scene in a Jerusalem neighborhood.
The Hebrew calendar is the annual calendar used in Judaism. Like the Chinese calendar, it is also a lunisolar calendar, based upon both lunar months and a solar cycle (which defines its years). This is in contrast to the Gregorian calendar, which is based solely upon a solar cycle, or the Islamic calendar, which is purely lunar.
Jews use this calendar to determine when the new Hebrew months start; this calendar determines the Jewish holidays, which Torah portions to read, Jahrzeits, and which set of Psalms should be read each day.
Jews have been using a lunisolar calendar since Biblical times, but originally referred to the months by number rather than name. During the Babylonian exile, they adopted Babylonian names for the months. Some sects, such as the Essenes, used a solar calendar.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Hebrew calendar" and Wikipedia article "Adar".
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