| -2 | -1 | today | +1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | +5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| dzuzi | dzana | rero | machero | muhondo | wairya | wagorya | watuto |
kupiga mafundo (means "making knots") If you have an appointment to meet someone in five days' time, you prepare a piece of rope and make five knots in it, and hang it on the door. Every day at dawn, you cut one knot. This way you will remember the appointed day.
A traditional Duruma week consists of 4 days.
kpwaluka (means "to start farming") All the wives of a man do farming on their husband's main garden(dzumbe) together.
kurimaphiri (means "second farming") the same
kpwisha (means "finish") Each wife does her farm work on her own personal garden(koho). In the past young people enjoyed dancing and courting at the local dancing place(chiphalo) in the evening.
jumma (means "week") final day of the Duruma week(majumma ga chiduruma) Duruma holiday no farming work is allowed women may carry their products to Kinango market(chete) to sell to get their personal income. Traditional healers(aganga) are not allowed to treat on this day.
juma ra mwezi the first day of a month is the day when the first crescent was observed in the previous evening(mwezi ulumbwa dzana) a month was divided into three parts each consisting of ten days. Each day has its own name based on the moon.
kumi ra kpwanza: the first ten days
mwezi motsi (first moon)
mwezi phiri (second moon)
mwezi hahu (third moon)
mwezi nne (fourth moon)
mwezi tsano (fifth moon)
mwezi handahu(or mwezi sita) (sixth moon)
mwezi fungahe(or mwezi saba) (seventh moon)
mwezi nane (eighth moon)
mwezi chenda (ninth moon)
mwezi kumi (tenth moon)
kumi ra kahi: the middle ten days is the best period for holding overnight ceremonies and rituals
mwezi motsi
....
kumi ra kpwisha: the final ten days this last period may not last ten days. days are counted as the above, but when the first crescent moon is observed, counting stops. the next day will be the first day of the next month(juma ra mwezi)