Months of the Haab
The Haab is the 365 day calendar thought to be used mainly for agricultural purposes. It consists of 18 months of 20 days each with five days added at the end called Vayeb.
I presently use the Tikal Haab as it is used by scholars as a standard reference.
It is no longer in use by any surviving Mayan group. The Quiche Haab is still in use. They
are both very similar, with a few differences:
- The Tikal uses the numbers 0 to 19 and considers Pop to be the first
month; the five extra Vayeb days come after the month of Cumku.
- The Quiche uses the numbers 1 to 20 and considers Kayab to be the
first month; the five extra Vayeb days come after the month of Pax
So for 300 days of the year they are in virtual alignment, the slight difference
being the usage of 0 or 1 for the first day of a month.
For 45 days they are five days apart because of the placement of the Vayeb days.
This accounts for the different New Years Day's of the two systems.
I use the Yucatec spelling of the days as they are the ones most commonly used, and the Quiche spelling is very hard, for me, to pronounce.
The information about the qualities of the months comes from two texts:
Maya Hieroglyphic Writing - An Introduction by J. E. S. Thompson
and
Tzolkin - Visionary Perspectives and Calendar Studies by John Major Jenkins
The third line in these month attributes has two entries; the first is the Quiche meaning and the second is the Yucatec meaning.
I have found very little in the literature about the attributes of the Haab months. If anyone knows anything more about these please contact me.
Pop
Patron - Jaguar
Glyph - Mat, Chief
Soft Earth / Mat
Comment - Mat and jaguar symbols of chiefdom
Uo
Patron- Jaguar of underworld
Glyph - Black sky symbol
Two Soft Earth / Frog
Comment - Jaguar - night - blackness
Zip
Patron - Fret-nosed sky being. A deer?
Glyph - Red sky symbol
One Moss / Stag
Comment - Maya version of Mixcoatl?
Zotz'
Patron - Xoc fish
Glyph - Bat (zotz')
Two Moss / Bat
Comment - Rebus of winter?
Zec
Patron - Sky and earth
Glyph - Count of uinals?
Shoots / Skull
Comment - 260-days to end of year?
Xul
Patron - Canine god??
Glyph - Dog with sun tail
Bird Days / End
Comment - Dog who led sun to underworld?
Yaxkin
Patron - Sun god
Glyph- Sun with yax prefix
Red Clouds / Green
Comment - New or strong sun
Mol
Patron - ?
Glyph - Water symbol
Jaguar / Gather
Comment - Clouds gather?
Ch'en
Patron - Moon
Glyph - Black sky monster
One Flower / Well
Comment - Sky monster of west
Yax
Patron - Venus
Glyph - Green sky monster
Two Flower / Green
Comment - Sky monster of south?
Zac
Patron - Frog constellation
Glyph - White sky monster
Three Flower / White
Comment - Sky monster of north
Ceh
Patron - Sky god
Glyph - Red sky monster
Trees / Deer
Comment - Sky monster of east
Mac
Patron - God of number 3
Glyph - Count set in order?
Flaying / Cover
Comment - End of 260 days?
Kankin
Patron - Earth monster?
Glyph - Dog
Painted Mat / Yellow
Comment - Both connected with underworld
Muan
Patron - Moan bird
Glyph - Moan bird
Fire / Owl
Comment - Deity of rain and clouds
Pax
Patron - Jaguar or Puma
Glyph - Water dispersing??
Arrow / Drum
Comment - Rising sun disperses mist and dew?
Kayab
Patron - Moon goddess
Glyph - Turtle
One Lord / Turtle
Comment - Turtle symbol of parturition?
Cumku
Patron - Crocodile
Glyph - Conch (?) over maize seed
Two Lord / Dark
Comment - Itzamnas, gods of rain and plants?
Vayab
Patron - ..........
Glyph - Tun with prefix
Extra Days / Specter
Comment - Deity, perhaps Mam, the earth god