What it means
هجری قمری (hejri-ye qamari) is the lunar Islamic calendar used in Iran for religious dates, court rulings, and official Islamic observances. هجری comes from Arabic هجرة (hejrat), meaning migration, marking the year the Prophet Mohammad traveled from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE. قمری comes from Arabic قمر (qamar), meaning moon, because the calendar tracks lunar months of 29 or 30 days. The current hejri-ye qamari year runs about 11 days shorter than the solar year, so its dates rotate through all seasons over roughly 33 years. A close contrast is تقویم هجری شمسی (taqvim-e hejri-ye shamsi), the solar Islamic calendar used for everyday civic life in Iran, which also counts from the Hijra but follows the sun.
How to use it
- تولدم طبق تقویم هجری قمری کِیه؟ (tavalladam tabq-e taqvim-e hejri-ye qamari kie?) “When is my birthday according to the lunar Hijri calendar?”
- ماه رمضان هر سال در تقویم هجری قمری جای خودشو عوض میکنه. (mâh-e ramazân har sâl dar taqvim-e hejri-ye qamari jây-e khodesh-o avaz mikoné.) “Ramadan moves to a different slot in the solar year each year in the lunar Hijri calendar.”
- تاریخ هجری قمری این قرارداد چنده؟ (târikh-e hejri-ye qamari-ye in qarârdâd chande?) “What is the lunar Hijri date of this contract?”
- عید فطر طبق هجری قمری حساب میشه. (eid-e fetr tabq-e hejri-ye qamari hesâb mishe.) “Eid al-Fitr is calculated according to the lunar Hijri calendar.”
Cultural note
Iran uses three calendars in daily life. The hejri-ye shamsi (solar) calendar governs school years, government pay cycles, and Persian New Year. The hejri-ye qamari (lunar) calendar sets the dates of Ramadan, the two Eids, and Muharram mourning. The Gregorian calendar appears on international documents and airline tickets. Knowing which calendar a date belongs to is a practical necessity, not just cultural literacy, especially around religious holidays that fall on different solar dates each year.