Today, 11 Sept is the Coptic New Year, known as the Feast of El-Nayrouz. Its the month Thout, named after the Egyptian god of wisdom and science, Thoth, who has the body of a man and head of an ibis.
The day is a religious one for the Copts, or Coptic Christians, commemorating the martyrs. There is also a tradition to eat red dates “believing the red symbolises the martyrs’ blood and the white date heart the martyrs’ pure hearts.” The Coptic church histroy is fascinating, complicated and ancient - and the Copts continue to uphold their faith and practices in Egypt and around the world despite the persecution they have and continue to suffer. The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights continues to document and fight against human rights violations - including campaigning to get the Egyptian government to sign and ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. Which I can’t quite believe has to exist in this world, but it does.
Back in calendar mode though, for the geeks among us, 11th Sept will be New Year every year, aside from leap years when it is 12th, until 2099. Because although the Coptic calendar uses a different structure to ours, it still counts a leap year as one day added every four years - but unlike the Gregorian calendar this is without exception. In the Gregorian calendar, the centenary years are only a leap year if the number isn’t divisible by 400. So 2000 was a leap year, but 2100 won’t be. Or 2200, or 2300. But 2400 will. You get the picture. I’d love to know who will still be paying attention in 2399.