2019-08-06 - Reformed Rational Calendar --------------------------------------- Introduction Problems with systematic calendars (syscals) Triskadekaphobia Many syscals provide 13 months. This is unpopular for many reasons. You can argue against this objection all you want, the fact remains that, in many cultures, 13 is unacceptable. Unfamiliar Days Many syscals provide new day names, such as the French Republican Calendars unidi, duodi &c. These have a certain attraction, but they are not without problems, mainly the erosion of cultural reference points. Loss of Weekends Syscals which excessively focus on rationality (FRC, New Calendar) reduce the `rest days`. This was one of the contributing reasons for the failure of the French Republican Calendar. Unfamiliar Terminology Many syscals refer to incongruous naming schemes, like `bimonth`. Loss of Holidays Many syscals overturn or move traditional holidays (Thanksgiving &c). People *really* like their holidays; many of them have been obtained through the force of organised labour; others commemorate the deeds of the past and are part of national, regional and supra-national identity. Loss of Productivity Conversely to the above, some syscals actually increase the number of days people are not working. This leads to strong objections from the Capitalist classes; until such time as these objections can be rejected there needs to be some consistency. Loss of Traditional Measure By altering week length, or dividing months differently, many religious or traditional elements are lost or become overly complex. A new calendar should not minimise impact on these old calculations. Problems with Julian/Gregorian System I'm not proposing to delve too deeply into the problems with the current system. Anyone who has any interest in Calendrical Reform knows these issues. To keep it short, there are three primary complaints, viz:- - Unequal Months - Shifting Days - Overly Rigid So, what should a reformed Calendar do? In order to minimise friction, a reformed calendar should:- Retain month structure as much as possible Retain local naming conventions Retain Holidays Retain Weekends Retain Productivity Retain Traditional Measures Retain 7 Day Week My Modest Proposal Use ancient structure for new A Reformed Calendar should look to the original calendars used by humans. Many early cultures, and their descendants today, concentrate on the Solstices. A Reformed Calendar should acknowledge the Holiday 'seasons' which occur at Solstice 12 Months of 28 Days Beginning on Jan 1, each month is the same length. Each Month (or Month Ordinary) retains its traditional local name Each day retains its traditional local name Each traditional local holiday remains largely in place, with some exceptions. Plus: 2 Half-Months of 14 Days Located after June and after December Coterminous with Midsummer and Midwinter Solstices Kalends Days One *Kalends* at the end of each year, after the Winter(NH), before the start of the new year. One *Ides* every four years, after the Summer(NH) Issues Doesn't work for other religions Judaism (for instance) relies on a 7-day week, and does not allow `intercalenary` days. Birthdays Because the calendar is quite different, birth dates from the Gregorian calendar do not neatly align. This can be assuaged somewhat by taking the absolute year-day, and mapping this to the new calendar. Sample ┌──── │ January February March │ Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su │ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 │ 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 │ 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 │ 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 │ │ April May June │ Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su │ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 │ 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 │ 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 │ 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 │ │ Summer July August │ Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su │ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 │ 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 │ 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 │ (Ides) 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 │ │ September October November │ Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su │ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 │ 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 │ 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 │ 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 │ │ December Winter │ Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su │ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 │ 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 │ 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 │ 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Kalends └────