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Things of Middle-earth

Lithedays

Type: Calendars & Measurements

Other Names:
Lithe
Summerdays

Description:

Three extra days (four in leap years) inserted between the months of June and July in the Calendar of the Shire; Lithedays and Yuledays together allow months of equal length in the Shire-reckoning:
The Hobbits were conservative and continued to use a form of King's Reckoning adapted to fit their own customs. Their months were all equal and had 30 days each; but they had 3 Summerdays, called in the Shire the Lithe or the Lithedays, between June and July.... The Yuledays and the Lithedays remained outside the months.... Every fourth year, except in the last year of the century, there were four Lithedays. The Lithedays and the Yuledays were the chief holidays and time of feasting. The additional Litheday was added after Mid-year's Day, and so the 184th day of the Leap-years was called Overlithe and was a day of special merrymaking. In full Yuletide was six days long, including the last three and first three days of each year.

The Lord of the Rings, Appendix D, The Calendars

The Mid-year's Day, and in Leap-years the Overlithe, had no week-day name. The Lithe before Mid-year's Day was called 1 Lithe, and the one after was called 2 Lithe.... The Overlithe was a day of special holiday, but it did not occur in any of the years important to the history of the Great Ring. It occurred in 1420, the year of the famous harvest and wonderful summer, and the merry-making in that year is said to have been the greatest in memory or record.

The Lord of the Rings, Appendix D, The Calendars

Contributors: Elena Tiriel 20Dec09

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