Years
Why New Year stays near spring
The Lilyan year follows the seasons, so it sometimes needs an extra month.
The civil year begins on 1 January by rule. A Lilyan year begins near the spring equinox, when the balance between day and night marks the turn toward the lighter half of the year.
The Moon and the seasons do not move in lockstep. Twelve lunar months are a little shorter than a solar year, so the start of the year would slowly drift backward if nothing corrected it.
Some Lilyan years therefore include Second Frost, an extra winter month. It is not a decoration or a superstition. It is the calendar keeping New Year close to spring.
In short
- New Year stays near the spring equinox.
- Year numbering omits year zero.
- Second Frost is the extra month in a 13-month year.