Ehrenfest Calendar

This Article is based on the Official Translations of the Light Novel series! The Light Novel series is the source material for the adaptation of the Anime and Manga series. The information and terminology on the article will be based on the source material rather than the adaptions.

General Information

The Ehrenfest Calendar operates on a system of days, weeks, months and years. However, there are some critical differences that set it apart from Earth calendars. Most notably, there are 12 months in a year, 5 weeks in a month, and 7 days in a week, for a total of 420 days in a year.

Time is measured in bells rather than hours, but each day is still approximately 24 hours long.

The country of Yurgenschmidt and its duchies do not count their years in a single continuous system like Anno Domini on most parts of Earth, but instead uses a system that splits time into eras based on the rule of the kings, similar to how Japan measures their time in the eras of their Emperors.

Time in Bells

The time in Ehrenfest is determined by the chiming of the temple bells. These bells are magical tools who always ring at the same time everyday, so the most common way to tell time is by which bell chimed last.

Bell Conversion

Bell	Approximate Time	References
1st Bell	Around 4am	Attendants and Commoners usually wake up at this time.
2nd Bell	7am~7:30am	Time for the city gates to open and the start of working hours in most workshops.
3rd Bell	9:30am~10am	At this time, nobles can start to receive guests.
4th Bell	12pm	Time for lunch.
5th Bell	2:30pm~3pm	Markets close and taverns open.
6th Bell	5pm~5:30pm	The city gates close, time for dinner.
7th Bell	8pm	Last bell of the day, time to sleep.

Weeks and Weekdays

“	In spring, snow melts into water that gives life to sprouting plants. In summer, the sun burns like fire and plants grow leaves. In autumn, the cool wind chills fruit as it grows. In winter, the life and earth of our land sleeps.	”
— Benno explains the days of the week to Myne, Part 1 Volume 2, Chapter 21: Myne Collapses

The seven days of the week are Waterday, Sproutday, Fireday, Leafday, Winday, Fruitday, and Earthday. They are named after the sequence of how plants grow from season to season, with Earthday representing the fallow land in winter. Equivalent to Earth's Sunday, Earthday is a day off for most professions other than soldiers and priests.

The five weeks in each month are named the Week of Water, the Week of Fire, the Week of Wind, the Week of Earth, and the Week of Life, after the Eternal Five gods in Yurgenschmidt's religion. Each season lasts approximately three months, but that can vary depending on how hard the gods are working.

Commoners rarely posses calendars, but most workplaces are fitted with a board that has five columns and seven rows of holes, with the columns indicating the week in the month and the rows the weekdays. A wooden peg is put into the hole corresponding to the current day, so workers can plan ahead and know when the next Earthday is.

Annual Calendar

Spring

Event	Approximate Timing	Notes
Spring Baptism	First Waterday of Spring	In the city of Ehrenfest, commoner children turning seven this spring are registered for citizenship at the temple. The children then begin their apprenticeships.
Spring Prayer	Early Spring	Blue priests travel from the temple all around the duchy, bringing mana-filled chalices to local farming villages and distant provinces. The mana is used to make the land fertile and improve the year's harvest. In provinces ruled by Giebes, the Spring Prayer signifies the beginning of spring.
Night of Flutrane	First Full Moon	The moon turns a dark reddish-pink colour, and Water mana is at its strongest.
Archduke Conference	Late Spring	The governing Aub from each duchy, along with their primary spouse and their retainers, go to the Royal Academy in the Sovereignty to discuss trade and politics with other leading nobles. During their absence, other members of the archducal family are responsible for supplying mana to the duchy's foundation.
Coming-of-Age Ceremony	Last Waterday of Spring	In the city of Ehrenfest, commoner children turning 15 this spring attend a ceremony at the temple and become legally recognized as adults.

Summer

Event	Approximate Timing	Important Events
Summer Baptism	First Fireday of Summer	In the city of Ehrenfest, commoner children turning seven this summer are registered for citizenship at the temple. The children then begin their apprenticeships.
Starbind Ceremony	Midsummer	In the city of Ehrenfest, commoner couples who wish to get married attend a public ceremony in the morning at the temple where the marriage is officiated. Afterward, the lower city holds a "Star Festival" where the newlyweds race from the temple while dodging taue fruit thrown by their friends and neighbors. On the evening of the same day, a similar ceremony is held for nobles at the archduke's castle. Unwed adults are obligated to attend socializing afterward.
Coming-of-Age Ceremony	Last Fireday of Summer	In the city of Ehrenfest, commoner children turning 15 this summer attend a ceremony at the temple and become legally recognized as adults.

Autumn

Event	Approximate Timing	Notes
Autumn Baptism	First Winday of Autumn	In the city of Ehrenfest, commoner children turning seven this autumn are registered for citizenship at the temple. The children then begin their apprenticeships.
Harvest Festival	Late Autumn	Blue priests travel from the temple all around the duchy to collect the small chalices distributed during Spring Prayer and return them to the temple for the upcoming Dedication Ritual in winter. They also collect taxes as a portion of each area's harvest. For all commoners outside of the city of Ehrenfest, all baptisms, Starbind Ceremonies, and Coming of Age Ceremonies are held collectively during the Harvest Festival, regardless of a person's birth season. Commoners also play warf and celebrate before traveling to stay in the local winter mansion for the winter.
Night of Schutzaria	Last Full Moon	The moon turns a purplish colour, and Wind mana is at its strongest.
Coming-of-Age Ceremony	Last Winday of Autumn	In the city of Ehrenfest, commoner children turning 15 this autumn attend a ceremony at the temple and become legally recognized as adults.

Winter

Event	Approximate Timing	Notes
Winter Baptism	First Earthday of Winter	In the city of Ehrenfest, commoner children turning seven this winter are registered for citizenship at the temple. The children then begin their apprenticeships.
Noble Winter Ceremonies	Second Earthday of Winter	Nobles' Winter Baptism. Noble children who live outside the city of Ehrenfest or who cannot afford private baptisms are formally baptized one by one, in order from lowest to highest rank. Winter Debut. All noble children who turned 7 during the year have their winter debut, including a harspiel performance. Gifting Ceremony. All noble children who turned 10 during the year are given ocher cloaks and brooches to wear at the Royal Academy as first years.
Winter Socializing/Royal Academy Term	Throughout Winter	Adults spend their time in the city of Ehrenfest attending social gatherings and networking with other nobles. Children who are 10 and older go to the Royal Academy for their classes during the winter. Children who are between 7 and 10 go to the Winter Playroom in the castle to socialize with other children and take preparatory lessons.
Dedication Ritual	Middle of Winter	In the Temple, blue priests dedicate mana to fill the chalices that will be distributed during the next season's Spring Prayer. The Lord of Winter appears around this time, requiring the Knight's Order to travel to defeat it. This typically takes several days of sustained battle.
Royal Academy Graduation Ceremony	Late Winter	Interduchy Tournament. The school year at the Royal Academy ends with an interduchy ditter tournament attended by high-ranking nobles from all duchies. Scholars also present their research during the tournament. Graduation Ceremony. The day after the Interduchy Tournament, sixth year students at the Royal Academy (those who have turned 15) graduate. The Graduation Ceremony includes the Dedication Whirl, the recognition of top-performing students, and the Coming-of-Age ceremony for the graduates.
Spring Celebration Feast	Late Winter	A ceremony attended by all nobles, greeted by the archduke. Honor students of the year in the Royal Academy are given prizes. Archduke candidates born in spring are baptized. The archduke will make important announcements, such as changes in duchy policy and engagement of archduke candidates. The ceremony marks the end of the winter socializing season and all land-owning nobles will return to their provinces. The spring in the noble quarter begins right after the ceremony.
Coming-of-Age Ceremony	Last Earthday of Winter	In the city of Ehrenfest, commoner children turning 15 this winter attend a ceremony at the temple and become legally recognized as adults.