Dates and Calendar

Most records of genealogical importance will start with stating the date that the action was done, in the case of a Catholic rite, or when the document was created, in the case of Notarial documents.

This initial date phrase is important for two main reasons. First, and the most obvious, is that it gives the date; second, since this phrase tends to be very formulaic and consistent, it becomes a very useful tool for researchers to accustom themselves to scribes' unique handwriting. Once this phrase has been read and deciphered, it can be used to compare other sections of the text and clarify uncertain letters or numbers.

Days of the Weeks and Months

This section of the document generally includes the day, month, and year. Keep in mind that Catalan documents can fluctuate between Catalan, Spanish or 'Castillian,' and Latin.

Most documents will not include the name of the day; rather, they will include the calendar number; however, it is still possible to find the day recorded. This can be helpful to double-check the date using a calendar from the year. Here is a list of the days of the week:

While the specific day of the week is not generally recorded, researchers should always expect to see the month recorded, except in extreme cases. Here are the months in Catalan with examples from documents:

English	Catalan	Abbreviations & Archaic Spellings	Examples
January	Gener	Gener, Jener or Janer
February	Febrer		Photo by Jacob Badal
March	Març
April	Abril
May	Maig	Maig, Maitg
June	Juny	Juny, Juñ
July	Juliol
August	Agost
September	Setembre
October	Octubre
November	Novembre	Novembre, noembre
December	Desembre	Desembre, Xbre

The Date Phrase

As previously mentioned, the date is often the first information that is given, and it observes a regular pattern. The majority of records will begin with a formula generally structured in one of two ways.

The first formula is generally structured in the following manner:

• "A __(day)__ del mes de __(month)__ del any __(year)__."

Here is an example from Santa María de Copons:¹

A 26 del mes de Juliol 1569	On the 26th of the month of July, 1569

In this entry, the phrase "del any" is missing, but this is common; even the phrase "del mes de" can be missing, as in this example from the same register:

A i8 de octubre 1569	On the 18th of October, 1569

Another possible formula is structured as:

• "Dia __(day)__ de __(month)__, del any __(year)__. "

Alternatively as:

• "Al(s) __(number)__dia(s) de __(month) del any __(year)__."

This can be seen in this later register:²

Dia vuyt Janer, del añ mil vuit cents	The 8th day, January, of the year 1800

Notice here that instead of the modern spelling of "any" for the word 'year,' that the scribe has spelled it as "añ;" this switching between /ny/ and /ñ/ is very common. Also, the word "vuit," which means 'eight' has been written twice but has been written as "vuyt," in the first instance and as "vuit" in the second; this variation of spelling, even in the same sentence, can be very common.

1. Arxiu Parroquial de Vic: Santa María de Copons A-C-D-E-G-H-L_1 (1552-1595).
2. Arxiu Parroquial de Vic: Sant Julià de Vilatorta A-B_5 (1800-1839).