1. Where one has to observe the Mishnah’s restrictions on commerce with Gentiles.
2. These days have not been identified except for מהירקנה which is mehragan, Arabic ممرجان, a fall festival. In Responsen der Geonim (Harkavy), Berlin 1887, No. 46 (p. 22) the Gaon describes this as the solstices, still celebrated as a holiday in his time. Also in מהורי one recognizes the root mehr“Mithra”, the sun-god. In כנוני one recognizes kanun, the Accadic and Syriac name of the Month of Ṭevet (or Kislev and Ṭevet) which leads one also to identify the day as connected to the winter solstice. In the Babli (11b) the readings are for Persian festivals מוטרדי וטוריסקי מוהרנקי ומוהרין, ms. readings מוטירדי וטירײסקי מוהרסנקי ומוהרין, מוטרדי ומורײסקי מוהרקני ומוחרנן, for the Babylonians מוהרנקי ואקניתי׳ בחנוני ועשר באדר, מוהרנקי ואקניתיה ,ואקנײת׳ במני ואסר באדר בחנוני ועשרים באדר. In the ms. readings the first series is from the Munich ms. (Diqduqe Soferim), the second from the NY ms. published by Shraga Abramson (New York 1957). The readings do not help much but it is clear that on base of the next sentence in the Yerushalmi in the list of Babylonian festivals one must read with the NY ms. “20 Adar” as Median New Year’s Day. (In his Notes, p. 150a, Abramson incorrectly reads “10 Adar” with the other Babli sources.)
3. These days have not been identified except for מהירקנה which is mehragan, Arabic ممرجان, a fall festival. In Responsen der Geonim (Harkavy), Berlin 1887, No. 46 (p. 22) the Gaon describes this as the solstices, still celebrated as a holiday in his time. Also in מהורי one recognizes the root mehr“Mithra”, the sun-god. In כנוני one recognizes kanun, the Accadic and Syriac name of the Month of Ṭevet (or Kislev and Ṭevet) which leads one also to identify the day as connected to the winter solstice. In the Babli (11b) the readings are for Persian festivals מוטרדי וטוריסקי מוהרנקי ומוהרין, ms. readings מוטירדי וטירײסקי מוהרסנקי ומוהרין, מוטרדי ומורײסקי מוהרקני ומוחרנן, for the Babylonians מוהרנקי ואקניתי׳ בחנוני ועשר באדר, מוהרנקי ואקניתיה ,ואקנײת׳ במני ואסר באדר בחנוני ועשרים באדר. In the ms. readings the first series is from the Munich ms. (Diqduqe Soferim), the second from the NY ms. published by Shraga Abramson (New York 1957). The readings do not help much but it is clear that on base of the next sentence in the Yerushalmi in the list of Babylonian festivals one must read with the NY ms. “20 Adar” as Median New Year’s Day. (In his Notes, p. 150a, Abramson incorrectly reads “10 Adar” with the other Babli sources.)
4. Persian نوروز. “Adar” here has the meaning of “March” as in the Syrian Christian calendar. Today’s Persian New Year is what is characterized here as Median.