Renaming of Turkmen months and days of week, 2002
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On August 10, 2002, the government of Turkmenistan adopted a law to rename all the months and most of the days of week. The names were chosen according to Turkmen national symbols, as described in Ruhnama, a book written by Saparmurat Niyazov, Turkmenistan's first president for life.
The old month names were taken from the Russian language. The new adopted Turkmen month names are as follows:
| English name | Old Turkmen name | Adopted Turkmen name | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Ýanwar | Türkmenbaşy | The adopted name of Saparmurat Niyazov, president of Turkmenistan and author of Ruhnama, meaning "The Leader of Turkmen". |
| February | Fewral | Baýdak | Flag - the Turkmenistan flag day is celebrated in February on Niyazov's birthday. |
| March | Mart | Nowruz | The traditional Iranian New Year, which is celebrated in March. |
| April | Aprel | Gurbansoltan | Gurbansoltan Eje - The name of Niyazov's mother. |
| May | Maý | Magtymguly | Magtymguly Pyragy - Turkmen poet, considered by Niyazov one the greatest spiritual teachers of the Turkmen people. |
| June | Iýun | Oguz | Oguz Khan - the founder of the Turkmen nation, according to Ruhnama (see Oghuz). |
| July | Iýul | Gorkut | The hero of "Gorkut-Ata" Turkmen epic. |
| August | Awgust | Alp Arslan | The founder of the Seljuk Empire, a Turkmen according to Ruhnama. |
| September | Sentýabr | Ruhnama | Niyazov's book, defined as a spiritual guide for the Turkmen nation. |
| October | Oktýabr | Garaşsyzlyk | Independence - Turkmenistan's Independence Day is celebrated in October. |
| November | Noýabr | Sanjar | The last ruler of the Seljuk Empire. |
| December | Dekabr | Bitaraplyk | Neutrality - Turkmenistan was proclaimed a neutral country, and the Neutrality Day is celebrated in December. |
The new adopted days of week names are as follows:
| English name | Old Turkmen name | Adopted Turkmen name | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Ýekşenbe | Dynçgün | Rest day |
| Monday | Duşenbe | Başgün | Main day |
| Tuesday | Sişenbe | Ýaşgün | Young day |
| Wednesday | Çarşenbe | Hoşgün | Favourable day |
| Thursday | Penşenbe | Sogapgün | Justice day |
| Friday | Anna | Annagün | Added the Turkmen word gün (day) to the old Persian-based name |
| Saturday | Şenbe | Ruhgün | Spirit day |
The new names are used in all Turkmen state-owned media. Publications in languages other than Turkmen often use the new names too, especially if they are targeted at Russian-speaking citizens of Turkmenistan, with the old name sometimes written in brackets.
