When to go to Sumer?
Equinoxes and seasons
Winter vs Summer
First, see how well you can handle the heat to choose the best time of the year for you.
Four seasons?
It can be a bit confusing.
Travelling in the winter
Travelling in the summer
Sumerian calendars
EMEŠ (Summer)
ENTEN (Winter)
10
11
12
(13)
March-April
April-May
May-June
June-July
July-August
Aug-Sept
Sept-Oct
Oct-nov
Nov-Dec
Dec-Jan
Jan-Feb
Feb-March
diri iti
ezem Ninazu
ezem gidim
ezem.mah
ezem Baba
šekinku
akiti (7)
gusisu
šu.numun
akiti (1)
Inana-Dumuzi
duku
ezem munu.gu
ezem ma.anna
Here are the main Sumerian festivals
Then, check the main festivals: either you want to attend one of them, or you hate huge crowds and will do your best to avoid them!
Sumerians and time – the calendars
The Sumerian year follows the cycle of the seasons. It starts on the spring equinox, that is around March 20th for us. This is the solar year. Next to that, the Sumerian months are set on the moon’s cycle: according to the Sumerian tradition, the moon god, Nanna-Su’en is the one “who establishes the months”. This is the lunar year.
Different cities, different months!
The problem is that the lunar year is about ten days shorter than the solar year. After some time, the discrepancy becomes apparent. To solve the problem, Sumerians add a 13th extra month (diri iti) every three years or so.
When is the extra month?
Travelling during the extra-month
Can you avoid it?
No worries!
Months equivalence tables?
Sumerian days
I am reliable
Equinoxes and seasons
Two days are essential in the Sumerian year: the equinoxes. They happened in our months of March and September. They divide the year into two seasons: Summer (emeš) and Winter (enten). Summer starts at the spring equinox in our March: it is the hot season, and the season of the harvest. Winter begins at the autumn equinox in our September: it is the cold season.
Nanna-Su'en, the moon god
In Sumer, the moon is superior to the sun: Nanna-Su’en is the father of Utu, the sun god. Thus, Sumerians measure the year by complete lunar cycles, that roughly correspond to twelve months.
Different cities, different months!
Sumerian months are set on the moon, so they do not correspond to our months. The new moon marks the first day of the month, even though the first crescent is sometimes difficult to observe, very thin and always low on the horizon. It happens that a month does not start on the same day in all cities.
Months are often named after local festivals or deities so that they are not the same in Ur, Nippur, Lagaš and Uruk! This is why most Sumerians use numbers to refer to the months, especially when they travel.
The festivals for the dying gods
Several Sumerian gods spend some time in the Netherworld: they "die", but later come back. Festivals are held in their honnour in all cities, either for local gods (such as Ninazu in Ur) or everywhere in Sumer for the most famous of them, Dumuzi.
More about the dying gods
The akiti festivals
The great akiti festivals happen twice a year in months 1 and 7, at the time of the equinoxes, and last several days. They are celebrated everywhere in Sumer: the ones in the main cities attract huge crowds.
More about the akiti festival
duku festival
duku is the "sacred mound" related to Enlil's ancestors. It is in the city of Tummal. The festival is linked to the summer festivals of the dead.
Learn more when you visit Nippur
The festivals for the dying gods
Several Sumerian gods spend some time in the Netherworld: they "die", but later come back. Festivals are held in their honnour in all cities, either for local gods (such as Baba in Lagaš) or everywhere in Sumer for the most famous of them, Dumuzi.
More about the dying gods
The agricultural festivals
šekinku happens in Nippur and is a festival related to the agricultural calendar, together with šu.numun and gusisu.
More about the agricultural festivals
The akiti festivals
The great akiti festivals happen twice a year in months 1 and 7, at the time of the equinoxes, and last several days. They are celebrated everywhere in Sumer: the ones in the main cities attract huge crowds.
More about the akiti festival
Month equivalence tables?
You can ask a scribe to copy one for you if you really feel so uncomfortable with this vagueness. But some are not reliable: they count on ignorant foreigners to make easy money.
Easy money!
ezem munu.gu
Malt feasting is an old, traditional festival in Lagaš. It lasts several days, with events and ceremonies in the whole province.
Learn more when you visit Lagaš
Winter vs Summer
According to Sumerian popular wisdom, Winter prevails over Summer… Both seasons had a conflict and a dispute. Enlil, head of the Sumerian pantheon, heard their arguments and arbitrated the debate, to finally decree that Winter was the winner. In this context, Winter also includes Spring.
The Sumerian day
The day starts when the sun sets not when the sun rises. The word for day is u(d) – some Sumerians says “u”, others say “ud”, but the same sign is used everywhere. The days do not have names (like Monday, Tuesday etc.), only numbers according to their place in the month: Day 1, day 2 and so on.
The most common expression to name a day is ud x-kam (ud 5-kam is “the fifth day”). There are 29 or 30 days in a month: nothing is set in stones with the Sumerian calendar!
The festivals for the dying gods
Several Sumerian gods spend some time in the Netherworld: they "die", but later come back. Festivals are held in their honnour in all cities, either for local gods or everywhere in Sumer for the most famous of them, Dumuzi. Month 12 is his month.
More about the dying gods
ezem.mah, the great festival
The great festival is celebrated in Ur, for the moon god Nanna-Su'en and his wife, Ningal.
Learn more when you visit Ur
Ezem gidim - the festival of the ghosts
Month 5 is the month of the dead in Sumer. The festival in Nippur is very famous, but there are many festivities all over the country.
More about the festivals for the dead
The agricultural festivals
gusisu happens in Nippur and is a festival related to the agricultural calendar, together with šu.numun and šekinku.
More about the agricultural festivals
The name of the Sun God!
This is the sign for day, ud
This is the sign for god, dingir
When they are together, they mean the Sun god! Easy!
Travelling during the extra month?
Consider a travel insurance!
It feels a bit like getting stuck in a time-machine. Either you decide to stay an extra month in Sumer and simply enjoy it, or you switch all your plans backward (or is it forward?).
It does not affect the moon festivals: the moon does not stop and wait. But some of the main festivals “stay” in their right month so that you must wait for a month to attend them, or you lose your shekels.
ezem ma.anna
The great festival for the boat of An in Uruk attracts huge crowds and lasts several days. Other gods are also celebrated, especially Inana, who sometimes travel to Eridu. You can follow the boat.
Learn more when you visit Uruk!
When is the extra month?
diri iti, the ‘extra month’ is most often added between the last and first month, but it is not a rule. It is a royal decision, usually taken at the last minute.
Four seasons?
Some scholars further divide the year into four, but seasons are not named. They summarise the year’s weather as follows:
- months 1-3: wind and (bad) weather;
- months 4-6: harvest and heat;
- months 7-9: wind and (bad) weather;
- months 10-12: cold.
Two seasons
Is it possible to avoid the extra month?
Best is to take advice from our team before your departure, and we will check for you whether an intercalary month is on the tablets during your dates. You can also take out an insurance with the damgar-network and you will be refunded if you have booked for one of the main festivals.
The agricultural festivals
šu.nmun happens in Nippur and is a festival related to the agricultural calendar, together with gusisu and šekinku.
More about the agricultural festivals
When to go?
Marie Besnier
Created on February 18, 2025
Start designing with a free template
Discover more than 1500 professional designs like these:
View
Urban Illustrated Presentation
View
3D Corporate Reporting
View
Discover Your AI Assistant
View
Vision Board
View
SWOT Challenge: Classify Key Factors
View
Explainer Video: Keys to Effective Communication
View
Explainer Video: AI for Companies
Explore all templates
Transcript
When to go to Sumer?
Equinoxes and seasons
Winter vs Summer
First, see how well you can handle the heat to choose the best time of the year for you.
Four seasons?
It can be a bit confusing.
Travelling in the winter
Travelling in the summer
Sumerian calendars
EMEŠ (Summer)
ENTEN (Winter)
10
11
12
(13)
March-April
April-May
May-June
June-July
July-August
Aug-Sept
Sept-Oct
Oct-nov
Nov-Dec
Dec-Jan
Jan-Feb
Feb-March
diri iti
ezem Ninazu
ezem gidim
ezem.mah
ezem Baba
šekinku
akiti (7)
gusisu
šu.numun
akiti (1)
Inana-Dumuzi
duku
ezem munu.gu
ezem ma.anna
Here are the main Sumerian festivals
Then, check the main festivals: either you want to attend one of them, or you hate huge crowds and will do your best to avoid them!
Sumerians and time – the calendars
The Sumerian year follows the cycle of the seasons. It starts on the spring equinox, that is around March 20th for us. This is the solar year. Next to that, the Sumerian months are set on the moon’s cycle: according to the Sumerian tradition, the moon god, Nanna-Su’en is the one “who establishes the months”. This is the lunar year.
Different cities, different months!
The problem is that the lunar year is about ten days shorter than the solar year. After some time, the discrepancy becomes apparent. To solve the problem, Sumerians add a 13th extra month (diri iti) every three years or so.
When is the extra month?
Travelling during the extra-month
Can you avoid it?
No worries!
Months equivalence tables?
Sumerian days
I am reliable
Equinoxes and seasons
Two days are essential in the Sumerian year: the equinoxes. They happened in our months of March and September. They divide the year into two seasons: Summer (emeš) and Winter (enten). Summer starts at the spring equinox in our March: it is the hot season, and the season of the harvest. Winter begins at the autumn equinox in our September: it is the cold season.
Nanna-Su'en, the moon god
In Sumer, the moon is superior to the sun: Nanna-Su’en is the father of Utu, the sun god. Thus, Sumerians measure the year by complete lunar cycles, that roughly correspond to twelve months.
Different cities, different months!
Sumerian months are set on the moon, so they do not correspond to our months. The new moon marks the first day of the month, even though the first crescent is sometimes difficult to observe, very thin and always low on the horizon. It happens that a month does not start on the same day in all cities.
Months are often named after local festivals or deities so that they are not the same in Ur, Nippur, Lagaš and Uruk! This is why most Sumerians use numbers to refer to the months, especially when they travel.
The festivals for the dying gods
Several Sumerian gods spend some time in the Netherworld: they "die", but later come back. Festivals are held in their honnour in all cities, either for local gods (such as Ninazu in Ur) or everywhere in Sumer for the most famous of them, Dumuzi.
More about the dying gods
The akiti festivals
The great akiti festivals happen twice a year in months 1 and 7, at the time of the equinoxes, and last several days. They are celebrated everywhere in Sumer: the ones in the main cities attract huge crowds.
More about the akiti festival
duku festival
duku is the "sacred mound" related to Enlil's ancestors. It is in the city of Tummal. The festival is linked to the summer festivals of the dead.
Learn more when you visit Nippur
The festivals for the dying gods
Several Sumerian gods spend some time in the Netherworld: they "die", but later come back. Festivals are held in their honnour in all cities, either for local gods (such as Baba in Lagaš) or everywhere in Sumer for the most famous of them, Dumuzi.
More about the dying gods
The agricultural festivals
šekinku happens in Nippur and is a festival related to the agricultural calendar, together with šu.numun and gusisu.
More about the agricultural festivals
The akiti festivals
The great akiti festivals happen twice a year in months 1 and 7, at the time of the equinoxes, and last several days. They are celebrated everywhere in Sumer: the ones in the main cities attract huge crowds.
More about the akiti festival
Month equivalence tables?
You can ask a scribe to copy one for you if you really feel so uncomfortable with this vagueness. But some are not reliable: they count on ignorant foreigners to make easy money.
Easy money!
ezem munu.gu
Malt feasting is an old, traditional festival in Lagaš. It lasts several days, with events and ceremonies in the whole province.
Learn more when you visit Lagaš
Winter vs Summer
According to Sumerian popular wisdom, Winter prevails over Summer… Both seasons had a conflict and a dispute. Enlil, head of the Sumerian pantheon, heard their arguments and arbitrated the debate, to finally decree that Winter was the winner. In this context, Winter also includes Spring.
The Sumerian day
The day starts when the sun sets not when the sun rises. The word for day is u(d) – some Sumerians says “u”, others say “ud”, but the same sign is used everywhere. The days do not have names (like Monday, Tuesday etc.), only numbers according to their place in the month: Day 1, day 2 and so on.
The most common expression to name a day is ud x-kam (ud 5-kam is “the fifth day”). There are 29 or 30 days in a month: nothing is set in stones with the Sumerian calendar!
The festivals for the dying gods
Several Sumerian gods spend some time in the Netherworld: they "die", but later come back. Festivals are held in their honnour in all cities, either for local gods or everywhere in Sumer for the most famous of them, Dumuzi. Month 12 is his month.
More about the dying gods
ezem.mah, the great festival
The great festival is celebrated in Ur, for the moon god Nanna-Su'en and his wife, Ningal.
Learn more when you visit Ur
Ezem gidim - the festival of the ghosts
Month 5 is the month of the dead in Sumer. The festival in Nippur is very famous, but there are many festivities all over the country.
More about the festivals for the dead
The agricultural festivals
gusisu happens in Nippur and is a festival related to the agricultural calendar, together with šu.numun and šekinku.
More about the agricultural festivals
The name of the Sun God!
This is the sign for day, ud
This is the sign for god, dingir
When they are together, they mean the Sun god! Easy!
Travelling during the extra month?
Consider a travel insurance!
It feels a bit like getting stuck in a time-machine. Either you decide to stay an extra month in Sumer and simply enjoy it, or you switch all your plans backward (or is it forward?).
It does not affect the moon festivals: the moon does not stop and wait. But some of the main festivals “stay” in their right month so that you must wait for a month to attend them, or you lose your shekels.
ezem ma.anna
The great festival for the boat of An in Uruk attracts huge crowds and lasts several days. Other gods are also celebrated, especially Inana, who sometimes travel to Eridu. You can follow the boat.
Learn more when you visit Uruk!
When is the extra month?
diri iti, the ‘extra month’ is most often added between the last and first month, but it is not a rule. It is a royal decision, usually taken at the last minute.
Four seasons?
Some scholars further divide the year into four, but seasons are not named. They summarise the year’s weather as follows:
Two seasons
Is it possible to avoid the extra month?
Best is to take advice from our team before your departure, and we will check for you whether an intercalary month is on the tablets during your dates. You can also take out an insurance with the damgar-network and you will be refunded if you have booked for one of the main festivals.
The agricultural festivals
šu.nmun happens in Nippur and is a festival related to the agricultural calendar, together with gusisu and šekinku.
More about the agricultural festivals