One of the many ways that Copts remain the indigenous group of Egypt is by maintaining, preserving, and celebrating Ancient Egyptian practices today. One of these ways is through the Coptic Calendar, which is a continuation of the Ancient Egyptian Calendar.
Today (8th July) is the first day of the Coptic month ‘Epip’ (Ⲉⲡⲓⲡ), which will last until August 6th of the modern standard calendar (Gregorian). Epip is the eleventh month of the Coptic calendar.
So what is special about the month of Epip (Ⲉⲡⲓⲡ)?
Epip (Ⲉⲡⲓⲡ) is a month in tune with the Nile – at the beginning the waters ebb but towards the end of the month they rise again. As such it is the season to irrigate the crops through the Nile floods. Aziz Atiya writes:
"“Legumes, garden vegetables, and summer watermelon become plentiful. Rice and corn are sown, guava and mulberry trees are planted and flax is put to soak. Winds blow in from the North for fifteen days alternating with the last hot winds of the desert. The flood waters sweep away the green, stagnating pools, and the earth is prepared for sowing the next crops.”
As such Epip (Ⲉⲡⲓⲡ) has a food of the month – honey!
Epip (Ⲉⲡⲓⲡ) has its etymological roots in Ancient Egypt, specifically tied to the Ancient Egyptian Goddess of Fecundity (the ability to produce an abundance of offspring or new growth/fertility). The Goddess, ‘Ipy or ‘Ipyp is also known as Opet and takes the form of a hippopotamus, but is often depicted with a lion’s head, hippo’s body, and lion feet. Within Theban theology she is the mother of Osiris.
The Coptic calendar has 13 months, 12 of these months have 30 days, apart from the final thirteenth month which has only five days (or six days in a leap year). This thirteenth month is called ‘epagomenai’.
The Coptic calendar was orginally used by the Ancient Egyptians for agriculture. Ancient Egyptians divided the calendar months into three main seasons, each nomenclature to honour the God who controlled the agricultural climate of that season. This divided into one season for the flood of the Nile, what we would presently understand as natural irrigation (Tute to Kiakh); a season for growing crops (Tubah to Baramoudah); and a season for harvesting the crops (Bashans to Misra). The Coptic church has continued this traditional calendar used by the Ancient Egyptians by sacrilising it to memorialise saints and/or their martyrdom for each day of the month. The month of Epip (Ⲉⲡⲓⲡ) was also the third month of the Ancient Egyptian season of harvest. (This has been documented and used by the Copts in the Coptic Synaxarium.
You can also read more about the Coptic Calendar in general here.
Yet, why should we care about the Coptic calendar today?
Our iPhones are synced to the normal calendar, we can’t use it in work schedules, even if we told a friend to meet them on the first day of Epip it would be meaningless.
So… what’s the point?
Perhaps deeper than one would expect.
Whilst the calendar has historical continuity with the Ancient Egyptians, it also is emblematic of our history as Copts. In November 284 AD, it was the first year where Emperor Diocletian’s was elected by the military and began to rule. This marked the last major persecution against Christians within the Roman Empire. Emperor Diocletian’s persecution was significant, labeled ‘the Geat Persection’, and was the last and most severe persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire which included the Copts in Egypt. This marked for Copts the ‘Era of the Martyrs’. Our Church in Alexandria would go on to use the first day of Diocletian’s persecution to mark the first calendar day for the Copts. When Diocletian ascended to his throne over the Empire on the 20th November 284 AD, it was the first day of the Coptic calendar year 1 Toth (Coptic New Year) which is the 29th August 284 AD. The Coptic calendar’s exegesis is not only to remember the great persecution Copts suffered, but to remind us of the continued faith generations of our ancestors continued.
You can read more about the importance of the Coptic calendar to our indigenous identity here.
In the meantime – welcome to the month of Epip (Ⲉⲡⲓⲡ)!
