Sunday, 12 June 2022

HAPPY OODUA / YORÙBÁ NEW YEAR!

ÒKÙDÚ Òṣù Kẹ́fà (June 3) marks the beginning of the New Year.

"(Kójọdá" - Kójọdá: Meaning; May The Day Be Clear or Forecast, was the name given to the Ancestral Oodua/Yoruba Calendar.

Akù Odùn Tìtún o! Eyìn Omo OODUA / Kaaro Ojire nìlè lókó, léyín ódì!

It is 10,064 in the Yoruba calendar (Kójọdá, which means "May the day be predicted").  The New Year begins on June 3 (Okudu Keta) of the Gregorian calendar.

This means, 10,064 year of Yoruba history recorded since the establishment of the calendar according to the Scholars by Orunmila. However, we used to have 4 days/week but later reconciled with the Gregorian calendar 7 days/week (Note).

Before the Western Gregorian calendar, the Yoruba used a lunar calendar. The Yoruba year starts on June 2nd of this year, which is today, until June 1st of the following year.  The traditional calendar had a 4-day week, a 7-week month, and a 12-month year.

The Yoruba calendar (Kojoda) has a year starting on the last moon of May or first moon of June of the Gregorian calendar, and an era of 8042 BC.  The new year coincides with the Ifá festival.

It all started about 10,064 years ago, when Ife-Oodaye was populated by the ÒRÌṢÀ'S.  It was the work of Ọ̀RÚNMÌLÀ and ỌBÀTÀLÀ.

The traditional YORÙBÁ week has four days.  The four days dedicated to ÒRÌṢÀ are as follows:

Day 1 is dedicated to ỌBÀTÀLÀ (ỌBÀLÙAYÉ ÌYÁÀMÍ and the EGÚNGÚN).

Day 2 is dedicated to Ọ̀RÚNMÌLÀ (ÈṢÙ, IFÁ, ODÚ and Ọ̀ṢÚN).

Day 3 is dedicated to ÒGÚN (Ọ̀ṢỌ̀Ọ̀SÍ, ÌJÀ and ERINLẸ̀).

Day 4 is dedicated to ṢÀNGÓ (Ọ̀YÀ, ÀGÀNJÚ).

To reconcile with the Gregorian calendar, Yoruba people also measure time at seven days a week and four weeks a month. The four-day calendar was dedicated to the ÒRÌṢÀ'S and the seven-day calendar is for doing business.

The seven days are:

ỌJỌ́-ÀÌKÚ  (Sunday)

ỌJỌ́-ÀJÈ (Monday)

ỌJỌ́-IṢẸ́GUN (Tuesday)

ỌJỌ́-RÍRÚ (Wednesday)

ỌJỌ́-BÌBỌ̀ (Thursday)

ỌJỌ́-ẸTÍ (Friday)

and ỌJỌ́-ABÀMẸ̀TÀ (Saturday)

Òṣù in the Yoruba Calendar:

ÒKÙDÚ - June

AGẸ́MỌ́ - July

ÒGÚN - August

OWẸ́WẸ́ - September

Ọ̀WÀRÀ - October

BÈLÙ - November

Ọ̀PẸ̀ - December

ṢẸ̀RẸ̀ of January

ÈRÈLÈ of February

ÈRÈNÀ - March

ÌGBÈ - April

ÉBÍBÍ - May

Different between Yorùbá Kàlẹ́ndà and British and Arab Calendar.

Yorùbá Kàlẹ́ndà is 10,064

Britain calendar is 2022

Arab Calendar is 1444

Yorùbá Records are older than others.

Happy New Year!  AṢÈYÍ ṢÁMỌDÚN ÒÒÒ!

By Ogunlola Ifaniyi

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...