Calendar

Before meeting humans, yinrih reckoned time since the first evidence of written language, which dates from about 100 thousand Earth years prior to First Contact. Because the yinrih evolved a written language from a presapient scent marking behavior, this event is regarded as a rough equivalent to the dawn of sapience in their species. The dawn of sapience is refered to in Claravian parlance as The Kindling of the Fire of Understanding, The Great Kindling, or simply The Kindling. Years after this time are counted as A.K. (After Kindling). Events before the Kindling are dated according to various geologic timescales.

It takes Yih about 1.47 Earth years to orbit Focus. Yih completes one rotation every 24.38 Earth hours. There are exactly 528 Yih days per Yih year, and the new year begins on the Southern hemisphere’s vernal equinox.

Yih has no moon, so the month never emerged as a timekeeping standard. Years are instead divided into four quarters that line up with the seasons. Quarters are in turn divided into eleven 12-day periods. These periods are often called weeks in English because many activities that occur weekly on Earth, such as religious observances, periodic days off from work, etc. occur once per period. The choice of twelve days reflects the yinrih’s 12-day torpor cycle. Dates are conventionally written year, quarter, week, day.

After meeting humans–referred to by the Bright Way as First Meeting– years are reckoned as B.F.M (Before First Meeting) and A.F.M. (After First Meeting.)