Iyar

Iyar (Hebrew: אִייָר or אִיָּר, StandardʾĪyyarTiberianʾĪyyār; from Akkadian: ayari "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".