Times and Seasons
by F.E. McConvey
Published: 06 January 1988
Down with the old; up with the new! These are familiar words at the beginning of the new year. One of the first old articles to be cast aside is the tattered, spent calendar which is promptly replaced by a bright, shiny new edition that everyone hopes will be full of joy and good fortune.
We admire the scenes, read the advertising, mark the birthdays and special events, but never give a thought about the calendar itself. Keeping track of the days and seasons was just as important to ancient man as it is during this enlightened age of computers and satellites.
Calendars developed because it was essential to measure periods of time for agriculture, business, domestic and religious reasons.
The first practical calendar to meet these requirements originated with the Egyptians. This was, in turn, modified by the Romans into the Julian Calendar was not operating properly for 48 years after it's initiation in 45 B.C. Even then, because of the lengths of the day was in error, plus other miscalculations, the phases of the seasons and the days of the calendar gradually drifted apart.
The form we now use is known as the Gregorian Calendar. It was adopted in 1582 by France, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain after a papal bill (official document) was issued by Pope Gregory XIII.
The Church felt that changes were necessary to allow the seasons to get back into step with the calendar. In order to put the first day of Spring back where it belonged, in that year October 5 became October 15th. (Spring begins with the vernal equinox which occurs when the sun crosses the celestial equator causing the days and nights to become equal.)
This New Style, as it was called, opposed to the Old Style, or Julian Calendar also showed how to reckon the date for the celebration of Easter. In addition, January 1 was established as the beginning of its year.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch....as there was a great deal of dissention in the world (is anything really new?), not everyone was willing to accept this new idea. Most of the other European countries clung to the familiar Julian Calendar.
By 1548 Belgium, part of the Netherlands and most of the Roman Catholic states in Germany, had made the switch.
The change in Switzerland was extremely gradual. Can you imagine the confusion that must have risen during the 229 year (1583-1812) transition period?
Hungary accepted this new style in 1587, but not until 1699-1700 was it adopted in Denmark or the Protestant states of the Netherlands and Germany. Even so, the Germans calculated Easter by another method until 1776.
Sweden, in 1740, decided to follow the German dating of Easter, but converted to the other portions of the Gregorian Calendar in 1753. By 1844, the Swedes finally accepted the New Style in full.
Some countries around the world did not follow suit until more recently.
1867-- Alaska, when it became a possession of the United States.
1873--Japan
1875--Egypt
1912-1917--Albania, Bulgaria, China, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania
1918--Soviet Russia
1923--Greece
By the time Britain and her colonies decided to embrace the New Style calendar in 1752, the difference between the two systems amounted to eleven days. This was rectified by changing Sept. 3, 1752 to Sept.14, 1752, but not without protests and riots from many of her citizens. To make matters more complicated, March 25 had been the first day of the new year under the Old Style.
In your genealogical searching's, you may find a date written with a document day as 10/21 April 1704. this shows the date for both styles of the calendar.
At certain times of the year, you may encounter another monster written as 15 January 1688/89. Because the year did not change in the Old Style (O.S.) until March 25, it was still 1688 on Jan.15. However, with the New Style (N.S.), the new year had begun on Jan.1.
Confused? How do you think George Washington felt when he saw his birthday written as 11/22 February 1731/32? No wonder he whacked down that tree!
One genealogist did some head scratching when she discovered the birth of her ancestor on Aug. 25, 1746. On the same page was the birth of her sister March 1, 1747. It took awhile to realize that the recorder was still using the Julian Calendar. Therefore, these two children were born over eighteen months apart. If you don't believe me, figure it out for yourself.
Thus, the Julian Calendar became obsolete, but the names given to the months by those ancient Romans remain with us.
JANUARY - for JANUS, in Roman mythology, the god of portals and of beginnings and endings. He was portrayed having two faces, looking in the opposite direction.
FEBRUARY - after FEBRU, a Roman purification festival celebrated on February 15.
MARCH - the month of MARS, Roman god of war.
APRIL - from the Latin, APRILIS.
MAY - month of MAIUS.
JUNE- JUNIUS, the month of Junii, a Roman family, members of which were M. Junuis Brutus, and D. Junius Brutus, the murderers of Julius Caesar.
JULY - named in honor of JULIUS Caesar in 44 B.C. Formerly it had been called Quintilius, the fifth month.
AUGUST - named in honour of Caesar AUGUSTUS in 8 B.C. This had been the sixth month known as Sextilius.
SEPTEMBER - from the Latin SEPTUM, seventh.
OCTOBER - from the Latin, OCTO, eight.
NOVEMBER - from the Latin, NOVEM, nine.
DECEMEBER - from the Latin, DECEM, ten.
To some, our calendar is less that satisfactory so reforms have been proposed. There are also many other calendars used by other cultures. We shall look at them in the future.
QUERIES
14. JAMES S. CHRISTIE: b. 13 Jan 1829. Mar. JANET CAMERON, dau. of DUNCAN and GEORGIANNA CAMERON. Resided in St. James Parish, NB. CH: JOSEPH E., GEORGE C., JOHN E., DAVID A., ADDIE J., JANET C., MAGGIE A., TROTT K., FRANK L. Require any info on this family.
Note: In-Laws, Outlaws and Kinfolk articles have been published on this site with the permission of the St. Croix Courier. Special thanks goes to the Courier for allowing me to reprint my mother's articles.