What is the Gregorian calendar?

The Gregorian calendar is the calendar system most people use today. It has 12 months and starts on January 1st. Every four years, an extra day is added to keep it in sync with the sun's position in the sky. It's used around the world for everyday life and business.

When was the Gregorian calendar developed?

The Gregorian calendar, widely used today, was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 to reform the Julian calendar and address inaccuracies in dating Easter.

The Lunar Calendar

Many early calendars were based on lunar cycles, such as the Islamic Hijri calendar. Lunar calendars use the phases of the moon to determine months, making them roughly 29.5 days long. However, lunar calendars don't perfectly align with the solar year.

The Solar Calendar

Solar calendars, like the Gregorian calendar, are based on the Earth's orbit around the sun. They provide a more accurate way to synchronize with the seasons, which is essential for agricultural and climatic planning.

What is a leap year?

Leap years, introduced by Julius Caesar in the Julian calendar, are necessary to adjust for the fact that the Earth's orbit around the sun is approximately 365.2422 days. The Gregorian calendar refines this by having leap years with exceptions, ensuring that it is more closely synchronized with the solar year.

A leap year is a year that contains an extra day, February 29th, in order to keep our calendar year synchronized with the astronomical year. The purpose of a leap year is to account for the fact that it takes approximately 365.2422 days for the Earth to orbit the Sun. Without the addition of leap years, over time, the calendar would become misaligned with the changing seasons.

How frequent are leap years?

Every 4 years a leap year occurs, where an extra day is added to the calendar. Those years are 366 days long (instead of 365). Years divisible by 100 are not leap years unless they are divisible by 400. For example, 2004, 2008, and 2012 are leap years, 1700, 1800, and 1900 are not leap years, and 1200, 1600, and 2000 are leap years. This is to ensure the calendar is synchronized with Earth's orbit, which is slightly shorter than 365.25 days long.

What would happen without leap years?

Leap years help to maintain the alignment of our calendar with the changing seasons. By adding an extra day every four years (with exceptions), we keep our annual calendar year roughly in sync with the Earth's orbit around the Sun, which takes approximately 365.2422 days. Without leap years, the calendar would gradually shift out of alignment with the astronomical year, causing the dates of the seasons to drift.

New Year's Day

Gregorian New Year: January 1st - This is the most widely recognized New Year's celebration, following the Gregorian calendar, and is observed in many countries worldwide with fireworks, parties, and countdowns.

Chinese New Year: Date varies (between January 21 and February 20) - Also known as the Spring Festival, the Chinese New Year marks the beginning of the lunar calendar and is celebrated with dragon and lion dances, fireworks, and the giving of red envelopes (hongbao).

Islamic New Year (Hijri New Year): Date varies - The Islamic New Year follows the Islamic lunar calendar and commemorates the migration of the Prophet Muhammad to Medina. It is a time for reflection and remembrance.

Rosh Hashanah: Date varies (usually in September) - The Jewish New Year is observed with religious services, the sounding of the shofar (ram's horn), and the consumption of symbolic foods like apples and honey.

Nowruz: March 20th or 21st - Nowruz, also known as the Persian New Year, is celebrated in Iran and by various Persian communities. It marks the spring equinox and is observed with the Haft-Seen table, which features seven symbolic items.

Songkran: April 13th to 15th - Songkran is the Thai New Year and is celebrated with water festivals and religious ceremonies. It is a time for cleansing and renewal.

Diwali (Deepavali): Date varies (usually in October or November) - While not a New Year in the traditional sense, Diwali, the Festival of Lights, marks the victory of light over darkness and is celebrated in India and by Hindu communities worldwide.

Matariki: Date varies (usually in June) - Matariki is the Māori New Year in New Zealand, marked by the rise of the Pleiades star cluster. It is celebrated with cultural and spiritual events.

Racial New Year: Various dates - Some cultures, particularly in Southeast Asia, celebrate their own New Year based on local calendars. For example, the Thai Songkran festival and the Lao New Year (Pi Mai) are celebrated in April.

Javanese New Year (Java): Date varies (usually in March) - The Javanese New Year is marked by a traditional Javanese calendar and includes rituals and ceremonies.

Bengali New Year (Pohela Boishakh): April 14th or 15th - Celebrated in the Bengal region of South Asia, it marks the beginning of the Bengali calendar and is observed with colorful processions and cultural events.

The Mayan Calendar

The ancient Maya civilization had a highly sophisticated calendar system. They used a combination of a 260-day ritual calendar (the Tzolk'in) and a 365-day solar calendar (the Haab') to create a calendar round of 18,980 unique days.

The Aztec Calendar

The Aztec calendar, known as the Aztec Sun Stone, is a significant symbol of Aztec culture. It comprises two circular parts: the 260-day ritual calendar (tonalpohualli) and the 365-day solar calendar (xiuhpohualli). The tonalpohualli combines 20 day signs with 13 numbers, while the xiuhpohualli consists of 18 months, each with 20 days. To account for the missing 5 days, a 5-day period called Nemontemi was added. The calendar served religious, divinatory, and timekeeping purposes, reflecting the Aztec worldview with its rich cosmic symbolism and the face of the sun god Tonatiuh at its center.

Where does the 7 day week come from?

The seven-day week has ancient origins and likely began with the Babylonians around 600 BCE. They divided the lunar month into roughly seven-day phases. This concept spread and was later influenced by Judeo-Christian traditions. Each day is named after a celestial body or god. The seven-day week is now used worldwide for organizing time.

Where do the weekday names come from?

Sunday: Named after the Sun, it is traditionally the first day of the week in many cultures, as the Sun has been historically associated with the beginning of the week.

Monday: Named after the Moon, it follows Sunday. Many cultures consider Monday as the second day of the week.

Tuesday: Named after the Norse god Tyr (or Tiw), who was associated with war and law. In Romance languages, it is often named after Mars, the Roman god of war.

Wednesday: Named after the Norse god Odin (or Woden), who was associated with wisdom and poetry. In Romance languages, it is often named after Mercury, the Roman god of communication.

Thursday: Named after the Norse god Thor, who was associated with thunder and storms. In Romance languages, it is often named after Jupiter, the Roman god of the sky.

Friday: Named after the Norse goddess Frigg (or Freyja), who was associated with love and fertility. In Romance languages, it is often named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love.

Saturday: Named after the Roman god Saturn, who was associated with agriculture and time. It is traditionally the last day of the week in many cultures.

Where do the month names come from?

January: Named after Janus, the Roman god of doors and gates, who is often depicted with two faces, one looking backward into the old year and one looking forward into the new year.

February: The name is believed to come from the Latin word "februare," meaning "to purify." February was a time of purification in the Roman calendar.

March: Named after Mars, the Roman god of war, it was originally the first month of the Roman calendar.

April: The name's origin is uncertain, but it may be derived from the Latin word "aperire," meaning "to open," possibly referring to the opening or blossoming of flowers and trees in spring.

May: Named after Maia, an earth goddess of growing plants. It was a time of increased growth and fertility.

June: Named after Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage and well-being. June was considered an auspicious month for weddings.

July: Originally known as Quintilis, meaning "fifth" in Latin, as it was the fifth month of the Roman calendar. It was later renamed in honor of Julius Caesar.

August: Originally known as Sextilis, meaning "sixth" in Latin, as it was the sixth month of the Roman calendar. It was later renamed in honor of Emperor Augustus.

September: Derived from the Latin word "septem," meaning "seven," as it was originally the seventh month in the Roman calendar.

October: Derived from the Latin word "octo," meaning "eight," as it was originally the eighth month in the Roman calendar.

November: Derived from the Latin word "novem," meaning "nine," as it was originally the ninth month in the Roman calendar.

December: Derived from the Latin word "decem," meaning "ten," as it was originally the tenth month in the Roman calendar.

Zodiac and Astrological Calendars

Astrological calendars, such as the Western zodiac, divide the year into distinct signs and influence astrology. People are associated with zodiac signs based on their birthdates.

Martian Day

On Mars, a day is called a sol, and it is approximately 24 hours and 39 minutes long. The Martian calendar helps adjust for the planet's longer day compared to Earth.

How long are days on other planets?

The length of a day, or the time it takes for a planet to complete one full rotation on its axis, varies from one planet to another due to their different sizes and rotational speeds.

A day on Mercury lasts about 59 Earth days. Mercury has a slow rotation, and its day is almost as long as its year.

A day on Venus is longer than its year. It takes about 243 Earth days for Venus to complete one rotation on its axis.

A day on Earth is approximately 24 hours. This 24-hour rotation period is what defines a day in our calendar.

A day on Mars, often called a sol, is approximately 24 hours and 39 minutes.

Jupiter is a gas giant, and it has a very short rotation period. A day on Jupiter lasts about 9 hours and 56 minutes.

Saturn, another gas giant, has a rotation period of about 10 hours and 33 minutes.

Uranus, an ice giant, rotates more slowly than most planets. Its day lasts about 17 hours and 14 minutes.

Neptune, another ice giant, has a day that is approximately 16 hours and 6 minutes long.