We all use the Gregorian calendar, as that’s the technical name for the current calendar, but how much do you know about it? Here are a few facts that may tickle your brain.
- The Calendar Was Meant to Move Easter Around
The Julian calendar in use before the Gregorian calendar didn’t properly account for the length of a solar year, meaning that Easter didn’t fall when it was supposed to. The Gregorian calendar fixed that, and it was one of the key issues that caused Pope Gregory to make his calendar.
- The Calendar Fixes a Problem with Leap Years
The previous Julian calendar had an issue with leap years that made the calendar longer than it should be. Pope Gregory came up with his calendar as a way to solve the problem, but it doesn’t add an extra day every four years like some people suppose. It’s a little more complicated than that, which is necessary in order to keep up with solar movements.
- The Solar Year and the Gregorian Calendar Don’t Quite Match Up
You might think that the current calendar is really precise and always seems to be in time with the way the sun and other solar bodies move, but that’s not quite accurate. There’s a difference of about 26 seconds a year between the two. That means that since this calendar has been introduced, there have been a few hours’ difference between solar movements and the calendar’s timeline, says whatisage.com, an age calculator website.
- The Calendar Has Been Seen as Suspect by Some Protestants
When the Gregorian calendar was initially created, a number of Protestant groups thought it was a Catholic plot to control times and dates, says UFL.edu. Protestants in Germany and other areas initially rejected the calendar because they saw it as an exercise in power from the Pope.
- There Might Have Been Riots when Britain Adopted the Calendar
There are some historical records that indicate many English people were upset with Great Britain adopting the Gregorian calendar. According to these accounts, there were riots in the streets and protests demanding that the calendar be changed. Records of such riots have been called into suspicion by historians, but it’s worth noting that the transition wasn’t entirely smooth and accepted by all.
- It Changed the English New Year
Before England accepted the Gregorian calendar, the English New Year began on March 25th, says Britannica. Many European countries use days of religious significance to mark the beginning of the year until the widespread adoption of the Gregorian calendar.
Did you know all these facts about the Gregorian calendar? Did some of them surprise you?