THE CALENDAR

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 31 December 1927, Page 4

THE CALENDAR

FIXING NEW YEAR’S DAY. MANY CHANGES THROUGH THE AGES. January 1 as the beginning of our year is accepted so much, as a matter of course, as though it had always existed, that it may not be without interest to give something of the history of that aay and, incidentally, of the calendar which makes our year. Probably it works as well as any other, but actually it. is oi only comparatively recent instituiton, in fact since 1752. -let ween the time of the Attic and of the Ttcurian (Julian and Gregorian) calendar and the present there have been several changes. The first day of the year has been variously June 21, March 1 faltered in Roman times by Julius Caesar to January 1) in the Anglo-Saxon year, December 25, until iOdd, when January 1 ruled up till 1155, and back once more in tk© Middle Ages to March 25, beginning of the Christian year, and then in 1752 England adopted the Gregorian calendar, and January 1 became New Year’s Day, as it is now. And New Year gifts, it may be added, are a survival of an ancient Roman custom. Because of the change made in 1752 the error in the Julian calendar was rectified by eliminating eleven days between 'September 2 and 14, and as the legal year before 1752 began on March 25, 1751 is minus the months of January and February and 24 days of March, while 1752 was minus these eleven days in early September. Though we have accepted this day as the first day of the year, it is worth noting that many millions of the people in the world still hold differently— Chinese, Hebrew and Mohammedan races The Jewish is reckoned by lunar’ months, adjusted, however, to the solar cycle. Each month consists of 29 or 30 days, but never 31 days. New Year with them is in the spring, the month Nisan, March or April. The Mahommedan dates from Hejira, or flight of Mahomet, July 16 AJ>. 622. It consists of twelve _ lunar months, and of either 354 or 355 days, each month alternately being 30 and 29 days.

In 1849 a. calendar was published in France by August Compte, the Positivist, consisting of thirteen months of four weeks each; and, curiously, these were dedicated to leading men of Judaea, Greece, Rome, Germany, Italy, England, and France—poets, philosophers and warriors. In . addition, prominent names of world-wide eminence were associated with the weeks, and with all the days of the year. Some years previously the Convention of the Republic had ordained that the year should be dated from the foundation of the republic, September 29, and this lasted for some twelve years, when a change was made. SUGAR, YEAR. The solar astronomical year, as we learn from text books, is the time the earth takes to complete one revolution in its orbit round th'e sun. This sounds very simple, and, so far as it goes, is quite correct. But it will be of interest to recall that at various times there have been conferences or learned men —calendar reformers, astronomers, and mathematicians—to decide on the fixing of the year and the general arrangement of the calendar. There are some odd hours which aie difficult to deal with, and have, led to what is known as the leap year in everv fourth. " THE JTJLIAN CALENDAR.

The fact of the months of the civil calendar having different numbers of days is explained by the adjustments found essential in tne times of Julius Caesar when that great Emperor instituted what is known as the Julian Calendar. Originally the Roman year was divided into 10 lunar months by Romulus. Each month began with the new moon,- and was announced as the Kalends, the first quarter as the Nones, nine days before the full moon or Ides. Two months, January and February, were added by the Emperor Numa, and the fifth and sixth were renamed July and August after two great Emperors. The civil calendar, though it differs in various countries, in the British Empire and in America, was borrowed from the Roman Empire. In Caesar’s time the pontiffs had power, in their discretion to deal with the calendar, and it is recorded that for their own political purposes they frequently altered it, until by the year 40 B.C. the calendar was thrown into confusion to such an extent that the civil differed from the astronomical by three months, the' winter months being carried into autumn and vice versa. If it .suited their purposes they omitted several months from the calendar or if deemed advisable they inserted extra months into the year, stating that the adjustment was to put the calendar into proper order. Julius Caesar, however, took the matter in hand, and with the advice and assistance of the mathematician Sosigenes he drew up a scheme of adjustment in 40 8.C., that being the first year of the Julian calendar. He regulated the civil year by the sun, the year being fixed by the true length of the solar year at 365 J ‘days, and it was decided that three ordinary years should be followed by an intercalary year of 366 days, leap vear. in which an extra, day was given to. February. This would have given 30 days to February, but it is recorded that- Augustus was jealous, of July having more days than August, and to gratify his vanity the day was taken from February and given to August. In order to effect this adjustment the year mentioned had to contain no less than 445 davs, 67 days being inserted between November andi Dec°mber. This was called the “last vear of confusion,” and. thenceforward the normal year contained as now 365 davs. But it may be imagined what confusion would bo created were it found to-day necessary to insert an extra two months and five days! THE GREGORIAN CALENDAR.. The- Julian year of 3651 days was ionger than the solar year by ilmins. !4?*es., a difference that* amounted to ■one day in 128 years, and in a* few centuries tlfb vernal 'equinox had fallen rebind the Julian calendar by several ijirs. When in. 1582 Pope Gregory XJTL, with the , aid of Aloysius Lilius undertook the reformation ‘of the Julian Cauendair, the difference had become ten days. Gregory suppressed e.i days, calling October 5 the 15th. and instituted rules as follow: —Every vear divisible by four to be a leap rear of 366 days; every year not divisible to he 365, and every secular year, 1600. 1800, 1000. 2000. etc., if divisible >v 400, also to be a leap year or bissextile vear.

TJnder this calendar there is still a slight error, amounting, however, to ->n’,v one day in 3866 years. This calendar, though adopted by different ■mintries, was not introduced to Great Britain till 1752, a popular prejudice being held in opmsition to any change. At last, however, the disadvantage of being different- to other.

European countries was so great that ‘ change was made and an Act George IL was passed. It was known pc? the now stylo as against- tho Julian, the old style. The error in the Julian : ~’aendar was rectified by eliminating 11 days in September. ft is amusing to recall that tho opposition in. England was «o great that, riots took place, the people, arguing lhat they were being robbed oi those p'fvcn days. It certainly must have bren awkward for those having birt-h----rtavs falling in that- period. Scotland. r,n the. contrary, had been much more liberal, and had accepted the change nearly two hundred years previously In both countries, the beginning ot the vear was. altered from tin- spring equinox in March to the first day of January. ORIGIN OF MONTHS.

The word January was adopted from the Roman God, Janus, .who prcsrt.or' over the beginning of-things, and was thus the patron of births and the first month of the year, in art he is repre(vintcd as with two heads looking m r«>th directions, and there, may be some significance in this, that January could look backward at the old year to forward to the new. The last four months of the year, by derivation seventh to the 10th area I'Ylie of the times in Roman days when the year begun in March, but no change" has yet bom made. An alteration has been .suggested in this, respect, and possibly some day this wiil he dolit 1 .