(photo by Kevin Cloutie) It's a new year, at least according to some calendars. The familiar Gregorian calendar, the international standard, is only one of many day-reckoning systems in use among the world's religions and countries. Because existing schemes contain irregularities, other calendars have been proposed, but it's challenge enough to account for the cycles of the sun and moon, and even tougher to get a new calendar recognized. The Gregorian reform was decreed in 1582 because the Julian calendar was slipping out of synch with the seasons, yet worldwide adoption took over 300 years and resulted in riots. The French Republican calendar of 1793 to 1805 failed because its 10-day week offered workers fewer days of rest. Today, proponents of reform generally champion a uniform calendar, though wilder proposals exist. The World Calendar, Common-Civil-Calendar-and-Time, and Symmetry454 all keep dates matched up with the same day of the week every year. Widespread support could be gained for a calendar you'd never have to change, but probably never from those who sell them. Suggested Sites... Home Page for Calendar Reform - collection of proposed new calendars and a look at the history of past reforms. Calendar FAQ - answers to questions about years, months, weeks, days, and the different ways of tracking them. Calendars and Their History - http://astro.nmsu.edu/~lhuber/leaphist.html

Directory categories: Calendar Reform, Calendars, Calendar Retailers

Archived under: Calendars, History, Reference

Post a comment (0) | Email this posting