Durin's Day

[Earendilyon]

Taking the risk that this thread has to be re-relocated, I start a discussion on the actual date of the Dwarves' New Year.

Thorin Oakenshield says in the Hobbit (requoted from tEoA):

"The first day of the dwarves' New Year ... is as all should know the first day of the last moon of Autumn on the threshold of Winter."

As we know, Winter starts at the Winter Solstice, which is on or about December 21 (on the Northern Hemisphere that is, but as JRRT's stories for almost 100% took place there, we take that for granted).
From the article Lunar Phase @ Wikipedia I got the information, that 'the last (new) moon of Autumn' in 2005 is December 1, so this year's Dwarvish New Year's Day is December 2, and not tomorrow, as tEoA claims.

[According to the Wikipedia article, on October 3 is this year the first New Moon of Autumn (i.e. the first new moon after the Autumn Equinox, which is on or around September 23), which would mean that the Dwarves' New Year's Day would be on October 4, coinciding with World Animal Day ].

- Earendilyon

Edit: made a few typo corrections, see also here.