This site uses the unofficial convention years before/after the Rising (BR/AR) to refer to dates in the BIONICLE universe. There is no official standard for specifying dates in the BIONICLE universe; most dates are simply specified in terms of "years ago" from the perspective of a certain point in the storyline. Almost all historical dates are given relative to the 2007 and 2008 storylines, which occur shortly before the Rising, a significant event in the BIONICLE storyline wherein the Toa Nuva reawaken the Mata Nui robot. For this reason, it is most convenient to use the Rising as a standard reference point for dates. Although no official calendar system for the BIONICLE universe has been established, we assume that twelve months is equivalent to one year. The year 1 BR refers to the year (12 months) leading up to the Rising, and the year 1 AR refers to the year (12 months) following the Rising; there is no year 0 BR/AR.