← Back to lettersThe XEE can thus be defined as one-third of the revolution period of OUMMO. However, there is a minor error in this definition because the ancient cosmologists of OUMMO predominantly worshipped the number π. They absolutely wanted the value of the XEE to correspond to the fraction 2/(2+π) of the synodic revolution time of NAWEE, accepting a drift of six OUIW (18.55 minutes) each XEE. The cumulative drift thus reaches one day of OUMMO every 100 XEE and one XEE every 6000 XEE. The followers of the NAWEE cult, outraged by this offense to objective rigor, immediately issued an eschatological edict announcing the end of times after a cycle of 6000 XEE if the error was not corrected. The monarch of the time decided in favor of the majority. The error was ignored and still persists today. Some projects were proposed in the past to influence the orbit of OUMMO to cancel the drift, but the different OUMMOAELEWEE to which they were submitted systematically refused them. Apart from these considerations regarding the XEE, another drift exists in the definition of the XI (day of OUMMO) which corresponds in practice to 600 OUIW. However, the real value reaches 600.0117 OUIW. This approximation on the value of the XI logically implies a progressive shift in the timing of IOUMMA's rise at a given fixed point on the equator of OUMMO. When the OUIW was introduced during the scientific boom experienced by our people during its second historical era, the official value of the XI was redefined and an attempt at calendar readjustment took place to give it a better correlation with astronomical reality. One OUIW was added to the time count every 84 XI, except once every 84 XEE. This method was quickly abandoned as it was deemed unnecessarily complex. We do not have, on OUMMO, the imperative of a precise calendar calculation to know when to sow our crops based on upcoming climatic conditions. Climatic conditions on OUMMO are entirely dependent on latitude, and in no way on the physical positioning of OUMMO on its orbital path. We attach to this letter the French translation of the response we recently gave to one of your young brothers from Freie Hansestadt Bremen who was questioning the existence of leap years on OUMMO. This letter represents a supplement to that response, from which it takes some passages. ANNEX: CLARIFICATIONS CONCERNING OUR CALENDAR SYSTEM I understand that this may seem curious to you, but there is no specific word in our language to designate the revolution time of OUMMO around our sun IOUMMA. This time does not constitute a reference for us, and the word "year" has no strict equivalent in our language. We use, to mention in its context the revolution period of OUMMO, the term SAAXEE. Our notion of the day is, however, identical to yours. The rotation time of OUMMO on its axis is exactly 600.0117 OUIW. An OUIW, our unit of time measurement, is equivalent to 185.527 Earth seconds. Our official time count, however, considers that a nycthemeron (XI) counts exactly 600 OUIW. We use the term XEE (pronounced xéè) to reference our calendar periods. A XEE corresponds to exactly 60 XI. It would be incorrect to translate this term with a simple word from your language. It functionally corresponds to the term "year" used by you but does not have the same astronomical meaning. The XEE was determined by our ancient astronomers as being the fraction 2/(2+π) of the
Lettre Ummite#1221