Xerxes' reforms (Vαͽnα Ηραϗ)

This is a comprehensive list of reforms put forward by Xerxes I.



Calendar reforms
Xerxes wrote a logical calendar to work with the seasons. 12 months of 30 days were produced, followed by five days of celebration (6 on leap years) to make a complete 365 day year. Originally it was planned to have 13 months of 28 days and one day of celebration, but Xerxes wished to have a longer holiday.

Here are the months in the order they appear in the Persian Calendar, with their Gregorian equivalent next to them. The calender begins in Gregorian March to coincide with the older Zoroastrian tradition. 'Eragapa' is a portmanteau of the Greek words 'Eros' and 'Agape', meaning sexual and romantic love respectively. The Achaemenids adopted both words seperately to express each emotion, dropping the now lost word Persian word for love which was encompassed all kinds of love. The portmanteau is often used in poetry, but beyond that and the month name it is not used. Xerxes created it to encourage citizens, one month before the new year, to spend as much time with their partners, both romantically and sexually. It can be thought of as a 'St Valentine's Month'. Indeed to this day conception rates boom during this month.
 * 1) Afrandaha - (month) of Afrand, March
 * 2) Eranaha - (month) of Eran, April
 * 3) Shahbazaha - (month) of the Royal Falcon, May
 * 4) Freniyaha - (month) of Freniy (daughter of Zarathushtra), June
 * 5) Aspahaya - (month) of the Horse, July
 * 6) Kurushahaya - (month) of Cyrus, August
 * 7) Ataraha - (month) of Fire, September
 * 8) Yazadahaya - (month) of Yazada, October
 * 9) Haxamanishahaya - (month) of Achaemenes, November
 * 10) Darayavahushahaya - (month) of Darius, December
 * 11) Ouraniaha - (month) of Ourania, January
 * 12) Eragapaha - (month) of Love, February (see below)