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| Iyar | |
|---|---|
 A bonfire in Israel on Lag BaOmer celebrated on the 18th of Iyar | |
| Native name | אִייָר (Hebrew) |
| Calendar | Hebrew calendar |
| Month number | 2 |
| Number of days | 29 |
| Season | Spring (Northern Hemisphere) |
| Gregorian equivalent | April–May |
| Significant days | |
Iyar (Hebrew: אִייָר or אִיָּר, Standard ʾĪyyar Tiberian ʾĪyyār; from Akkadian: 𒌗𒄞 itiayari "rosette; blossom") is the eighth month of the civil year (which starts on 1 Tishrei) and the second month of the Jewish religious year (which starts on 1 Nisan) on the Hebrew calendar. The name is Babylonian in origin. It is a month of 29 days. Iyar usually falls in April–May on the Gregorian calendar.
In the Hebrew Bible, before the Babylonian captivity, the month was called Ziv (זו, 1 Kings 6:1, 6:37). Ziv is a Hebrew word that means "light" or "glow".
Along with all other current, post-biblical Jewish month names, Iyar was adopted during the Babylonian captivity. In the Babylonian calendar its name was Araḫ Āru, which can be interpreted as "month of blossoming".[1]
- ^ Muss-Arnolt, W (1892). "The Names of the Assyro-Babylonian Months and Their Regents". Journal of Biblical Literature. 11 (1): 72–94 [78]. (subscription only, free access at [1])