Iyar

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	Pesach Sheni Lag BaOmer
← Nisan Sivan →

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]