Are We Taking Advantage Of Using Calendars? -

Details for Are We Taking Advantage Of Using Calendars?

ID:	2729
Author:	AnnaStenning
Title:	Are We Taking Advantage Of Using Calendars?
Article:	What makes calendars so important? Why is that people have so accustomed to seeing one that they actually take for granted how important it is for our own sanity and daily routines that we all keep a note of what day of the week we are on what day of the week we doing things? Imagine a world without calendars; would we still be able to function as developed species? The world of calendars is something many may not think twice about this could not have a more significant place in our lives than it already does now. It is said and even stated as a fact that if we do not monitor the date and the time, one can spiral into insanity - whether this theory has been proven true it is something that many people have come to realise is an absolute necessity of our day-to-day survival. Knowing what time of day and what day of the week it is only propels us to complete the tasks and organise our duties accordingly. Unfortunately there are many more people who do not keep a calendar, however there are those who prefer to use a diary which acts as a more detailed organiser and reminder. Calendars date as far back as the early Ancient Egyptian period. These were mainly lunar calendars rather than solar calendars, which is measured by from one new moon to the next new moon. However the calendar had to account for all of the yearly events that had taken place in Egypt such as the annual flooding of the River Nile, due to the rainy seasons. Also it factored in areas where the climate was warmer and did not pay attention to the lunar cycle. The Egyptian calendar was structured with 12 months of 30 days each, calculating to 360 days of the year. Around 4000BC an extra five days was added at the end of each year in order to bring it into line with the solar year and making those five days significant for a festival celebration causing many to become superstitious during this time. Instead of having a leap year every four years, they allowed the one quarter day accumulate, causing it then to fall out of sync with the seasons until after 1461 Egyptian years. Lunar calendars were based on a 19 year period during antiquity, that also included 13 months for 7 of those 19 years. This period equated to 6932.5 days, whilst 19 solar years calculated to 6939.7 days, which gave a difference of one week and approximately five weeks per century. Many of the Islamic countries, especially in the Middle East, use this kind of a calendar to this day with many strict Muslims following all of their festivals and traditions throughout the year. Due to the lunar year containing only 354 days all Islamic festivals and occasions migrate through the year. When the Romans emerged into power, they took charge of the calendar, further complicating the making of a calendar because of their superstitions and beliefs. Their months were 29 or 31 days long, with the exception of February, because they believed uneven numbers were unlucky. All of the days calculated to just 355 days of the year, to which the Romans added another month which happened every two years. This month was called Mercedonius and contained 22 or 23 days. However this did not rectify the calendar in any way and it transpired that it would fall out of sync yet again. When Julius Caesar came into power, he had ordered a reformation of the existing calendar creating a calendar with 445 days in a solar year until it was in line with the seasons, then was changed to 365 days and 6 hours making it the basis of the calendar. He had also ordered for the calendar to start on the first of January as opposed to any other month. This calendar was called the Julian calendar. The Gregorian calendar came into place when the Julian calendar began to drift behind the solar year by approximately one week. In 1545 the Council of Trent appoint Pope Paul III to begin reformation of the calendar, which consisted of complex astronomical and mathematical work. On Thursday 4th October the Julian calendar was used for the last time, with the next day being Friday 15th October and every four years would be a leap year. This calendar is still used today, being an essential part of our lives and bringing much assistance for organising events and reminders of future events. About the author of this article: anna stenning has studied calendars as she has a keen interest in calendar designing.
Category:	Society
Date:	May 09, 2009 08:02:54 AM

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