The wisdom, intelligence, and ingenuity that Africans possess have always been trampled upon by Euro-centric narrators of history. Over time, they have continued to trample on the achievements of black people maliciously.
How many Africans would ever imagine that the current calendar we use in the world today was created by us? Millions of Africans have been educated with the lie that the “Gregorian Calendar” as it is called, is purely a European invention.
Even till date, lots of Africans believe the calendar was created by Europeans, but that fallacy could join up in a contest of the biggest lie ever told.
Neugebauer, the Austro-American mathematician, while referring to the calendar designed by ancient Egyptian Astronomers, said:
“It is truly the only intelligent calendar that has ever existed in the history of humanity.”
The calendar was approved 4236 years before the Christian era. Calculating the year 2019 will simply be (4236+2019 = 6255), in other words, Africa will enter year 6256 on the 3rd of August 2019, as the date marked the beginning of a new year.
This same calendar remains the same calendar that guides the world today. It was transferred to the Europeans when the Romans infiltrated Egypt in 33Bc.
No changes were made to the African calendar that has become the popular Gregorian calendar today.
According to the Egyptian calendar, there are 365 days, 3 seasons and 4 months ascribed to each season. These seasons are; the flood (Ahket), the germination (Peret), and the heat, (Shemu).
5 days out of 365 days were set aside and called epagomene. These days came before the 12 months of the year which have 30 days each. The New Year is determined by the annual appearance of the star known as Sigi Tolo by the Dolons of Mali and Sirius B by the Westerners.
After many years of studying the skies, the Egyptians knew that there were an extra 6 hours after every year. At the end of 4 years, there was an extra day. Also, they rather calculated it as 1 extra year after every 1,460 years.
After some time, the Egyptians started observing one extra day every four years instead. The Cheikh, Anta Diop said:
“The genius of the Blacks of the Nile valley is petrifying”.
Cameroonian Astrophysicist and Egyptologist Jean-Paul Mbeleg, thought that it was an Egyptian that suggested to the Romans to choose an extra day, every 4 years.
However, the 5 epagomene days come before the season of flood called Akhet, the first of the 5 was usually dedicated to God (Usireh or Osiris) because it also marked the regrowth of vegetation. God is here personified for his good deed of teaching man agriculture and his spirit represented by vegetation so every 29th of July, a tree is raised to celebrate this day.
This idea was copied by the Romans, to celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus. Following the first day, the other four days were called days of Aisata (Isis), of Horo, (Horus), of Suteh (Seth), and of Nabintu (Nephtys). The Renepet Neferet (the new year) is then 3rd day of August.
The 12 months were originally called Djehuty, Pa n Ipet, Hut Horo, Ka her Ka, Ta Aabet, Pa n mekher, Pa n Imana Hotep, Pa n Rennutet, Pa n Khonsu, Pa n Inet, Ip Ipi, and Mesut Ra.
The calendar is as follows:
THE DAYS OF EPAGOMENE
July 29th to August 2nd: days of Usireh, Aisata, Horo, Suteh, and Nabintu.
THE SEASON OF AKHET
Djehuty: August 3rd to September 1st.
Pa n Ipet: September 2nd to October 1st.
Hut Horo: October 2nd to October 31st.
Ka her Ka: November 1st to November 31st.
THE SEASON OF PERET
Ta Aabet: 1st December to 30th December.
Pa n mekher: 31st December to 29th January.
Pa n Imana Hotep: 30th January to 28th February.
Pa n Rennutet: 1st March to 30th March.
THE SEASON OF SHEMU
Pa n Khonsu: 31ST March to 29th April.
Pa n Inet: 30th April to 29th May.
Ip Ipi: 30th May to 28th June.
Mesut Ra: 29th June to 28th July.
Quotes from ancient Greek scholars regarding the African calendar:
“They (the Egyptian priests) all agreed to say that the Egyptians by their study of Astronomy, discovered the year and were the 1st to divide it into 12 parts—and in my opinion the method of calculation is better than the Greek. For the Greeks to make the seasons work out properly, intercalate a whole month every other year; while the Egyptians make the year consist of 12 months of 30 days each; and every year intercalate 5 additional days.”
“They (the Egyptian priests) revealed to the Greeks the secrete of the full-year whom the latter ignored as with many other things…” Strabo – the Ancient Egyptian Culture – revealed”.
Conclusion
We (Africans) must never neglect the teachings of our history because the true identity and achievements of our race rests in history. All we are and all we will ever be rests on the shoulders of history. It is then a mandate for every African to dig deep down and unearth those noble achievements of our ancestors, draw inspiration and lessons from them, and then move on.
