Fun Facts About Calendars

• The word calendar comes from the Latin word, ‘Kalendae’, which means the first day of the month.

How did the word ‘Calendar’ came into existence?

• Gregorian Calendar, the most commonly used calendar today, was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII. This was because the previously used Julian Calendar was off by 11 minutes, causing the calendar to fall out of sync with the seasons.

Who introduced Gregorian calendar to the world?

• In the Julian calendar, every year divisible by 4 is a leap year. However, in the Gregorian calendar, there is an exception – century years are not leap years, unless divisible by 400. This was done to offset the miscalculated 11 minutes.

How does the Gregorian calendar differ from the Julian calendar

• The exact time it takes for Earth to complete one revolution is 365 days, 5 hours, 10 minutes and 48 seconds. By adding a leap day every 4th year, a difference of 26 seconds arises.

Why does the Gregorian calendar differ from the Solar year by 26 seconds?

• Before adopting the Gregorian calendar, the English new year was observed on Lady Day, March 25th, which celebrates the Virgin Mary.

When was the new year celebrated before the adoption of the Gregorian calendar?

• Roman Emperor Constantine chose Sunday as the day of rest and prayer in the year 321. He did so to please both Christians (Sunday marks resurrection of Christ) and Pagans (who worshiped the sun gods) in his empire.

When and Why did Sunday became the day of rest?

• Roman Emperor Constantine chose Sunday as the day of rest and prayer in the year 321. He did so to please both Christians (Sunday marks resurrection of Christ) and Pagans (who worshiped the sun gods) in his empire.

When and Why did Sunday became the day of rest?

How did the months of the year get their names?• January: Named after Janus, the God of beginnings

and endings

• February: Named after the festival Februa, a period of celebration

• March: Named after March, the Roman God of War (Originally March was the first month. January and February were added later by Numa Pompilius)

• April: There are three theories behind April’s naming –• It is the Latin word for second• Derived from Latin word, ‘Aperire’ meaning, ‘to

open’, representing the opening of buds in spring

• Named after Roman Goddess, Aphrodite

May: Named after Maia, earth goddess of growing plants

• June: Named after Juno, the queen of the gods and patroness of marriage and weddings

• July: Named after Julius Caesar in 44 B.C.

• August: Named after Augustus Caesar in 8 B.C

• September: Derived from ‘Septem’, Latin word for seven

• October: Derived from ‘Octo’, Latin word for eight

• November: Derived from ‘Novem’, Latin word for nine

• December: Derived from ‘Decem’, Latin word for ten

• Yes, 13th of every month is more likely to fall on Friday

than any other day of the week, 688 times every 400

years to be precise. This is because after three 28-year

rotation cycles, the last 12 calendars repeat themselves.

Since 1st January of the 13th year falls on a Saturday,

the distribution symmetry of days is disrupted.

Is 13th more likely to fall on Friday than on any other day of the week?

• Gregorian calendar is the most widely used calendar in the world. However, it isn’t the only one in use. There are 6 other regular calendars:

• The Chinese calendar

• The Hebrew Calendar

• The Islamic Calendar

• The Persian Calendar

• The Ethiopian Calendar

• Te Balinese Pawukon

What are other calendar systems that exist in the world?

What are other calendar system exist in the world

Calendars fall into three types:

• Lunisolar

• Solar

• Lunar.

Gregorian calendar is a type of solar calendar, based on earth’s revolution.

Calendars like the Islamic calendar are lunar calendars that are based on phases of the moon.

Hebrew and Hindu calendars are types of lunisolar calendars which are based on movement of both, the Sun and the Moon.

I am Jayden Samuelson, an online marketing expert and a regular contributor to Promo Direct

Go for promotional calendars if you want to help recipients better plan out their schedules.

If you have any question, get in touch with me at Google+, Twitter and Facebook