Shamsi Calendar Months · Solar Hijri · Since 1079 CE
Persian Calendar Months
Twelve Iranian Months of the Jalali Year — Farvardin to Esfand
Each name from the Avestan language — unbroken for 2,500 years. Click a season. Turn the wheel.
Month III of XII
Khordad
From Haurvatāt — "Wholeness" or "Perfection" in Avestan
Gregorian
May 22 – June 21
Days
31
Season
Spring
Currently Khordad (خرداد) — month 3 of 12, Spring of the Persian year 1405. Corresponds to May 22 – June 21 in the Gregorian calendar.
The Twelve Persian Months
Seasons of the Jalali Calendar
Spring
Farvardin, Ordibehesht, Khordad
March 21 – June 21
Summer
Tir, Mordad, Shahrivar
June 22 – September 22
Autumn
Mehr, Aban, Azar
September 23 – December 21
Winter
Dey, Bahman, Esfand
December 22 – March 20
About the Persian Calendar Year
The Persian calendar has 12 months — each name drawn from the ancient Avestan language of Zoroastrianism, unbroken for over 2,500 years. The year begins in Farvardin at the exact moment of the spring equinox, an astronomical event Iranians celebrate as Nowruz. It ends in Esfand, the month of Holy Devotion, when homes are cleaned and seeds soaked in preparation for the new year.
Unlike Western months, every Persian month name carries precise theological meaning. Ordibehesht means Best Truth. Khordad means Perfection. Mordad means Immortality. Mehr is named for Mithra, the ancient deity of friendship and light. The calendar is cosmology embedded in daily time.
Months 1–6 each carry 31 days, spanning spring and summer. Months 7–11 carry 30 days through autumn and winter. The final month, Esfand, has 29 or 30 days. This structure was designed by Omar Khayyam in 1079 CE — the astronomer who made the Shamsi calendar the most accurate solar calendar ever devised. Use the Persian date converter to find any Gregorian equivalent.
Frequently Asked Questions
The 12 Persian calendar months are: Farvardin, Ordibehesht, Khordad, Tir, Mordad, Shahrivar, Mehr, Aban, Azar, Dey, Bahman, and Esfand. The first six have 31 days (spring and summer), the next five have 30 days (autumn and winter), and Esfand has 29 days in a regular year.
The current Persian month is Khordad (خرداد) — month 3 of 12, Spring of the Jalali year. It corresponds to May 22 – June 21 in the Gregorian calendar. The name means: From Haurvatāt — "Wholeness" or "Perfection" in Avestan.
The Persian calendar has 12 months: 6 months of 31 days (Farvardin through Shahrivar), 5 months of 30 days (Mehr through Bahman), and Esfand with 29 or 30 days depending on whether it is a leap year.
Every Persian month name comes from the Avestan language of ancient Zoroastrianism. Farvardin (guardian spirits), Ordibehesht (Best Truth), Khordad (Perfection), Tir (star deity of rain), Mordad (Immortality), Shahrivar (Desirable Dominion), Mehr (Mithra — friendship), Aban (waters), Azar (fire), Dey (the Creator), Bahman (Good Mind), Esfand (Holy Devotion).
Spring: Farvardin, Ordibehesht, Khordad (March 21–June 21). Summer: Tir, Mordad, Shahrivar (June 22–September 22). Autumn: Mehr, Aban, Azar (September 23–December 21). Winter: Dey, Bahman, Esfand (December 22–March 20).
Farvardin (month 1) runs from approximately March 21 to April 20. Ordibehesht (month 2) runs from April 21 to May 21. The Persian new year, Nowruz, falls on the first day of Farvardin — the spring equinox, around March 20 or 21.