Persian calendar facts for kids

The Iranian calendar, also known as the Persian calendar or the Jalāli Calendar, is a special way of keeping track of days and years. It's a solar calendar, which means it's based on the Earth's movement around the Sun. This calendar is used today in countries like Iran and Afghanistan.

What makes this calendar unique is that it's based on actual observations of the sky, not just a set of rules. Each year starts exactly when the spring equinox happens. This moment is carefully figured out by looking at the stars and planets from cities like Tehran and Kabul. Because it's so precise, some people think it's even more accurate than the Gregorian calendar, which is used in many parts of the world.

The current year in the Iranian Calendar is 1399 AP. The "AP" stands for "Anno Persico" or "Anno Persarum," which means "Persian year."