What year is it like in different countries of the world? Calendar

We are accustomed to the fact that the calendar that is used today is the most accurate and convenient version of chronology. After all, most of the world uses it, and we tie all events only to its designations. But this system was introduced into use only in the sixteenth century. And Pope Gregory XIII is responsible for what the calendar is now. It was during his reign that the style of calculating years, called Gregorian, was introduced.

Official calendar - Gregorian

Before him, people tried to coordinate the change of seasons and the length of the year among themselves. sunny days. In addition, there was a certain difficulty in harmonizing various calendars with each other, since time was calculated differently in every corner of the world.

For example, it is eloquent that when the Julian calendar was adopted in Russia, it was decided to consider the beginning of the year to be March 1, whereas in the original it was September 1. Moreover, although this calendar was proposed by Julius Caesar back in 45 BC, it began to function in Russia only in 988 with the introduction of Christianity. What is the calendar in Russia now? The same as throughout the world - Gregorian.

And although today the Gregorian calendar is considered the most convenient and optimal, it also has a number of disadvantages. For example, leap year will not necessarily be one in four. At the time the calendar was kept, it was decided not to consider leap years that ended in two zeros, and hundreds that were not divisible by four. This made it easier to adjust the number of days to real time. Another disadvantage is that each year begins with different days weeks (although this minus is quite dubious).

Due to this, last couple For centuries, scientists have been trying to find an alternative to the Gregorian calendar. And, although there were enough proposals, the only correct and acceptable one was not received.

Which calendar is better: solar or lunar?

To more fully answer the question of what calendars exist, it is worth giving their general classification. All calendars known to mankind can be divided into three general categories. These are solar, lunar and solar-lunar.

The solar calendar is tied to the complete revolution of the earth around the sun - that is, to the so-called tropical year. This means that during the mentioned cycle a complete change of seasons must take place. The official Gregorian calendar is solar.

The lunar calendar is tied to the lunar month. That is, it is based on the changing phases of the moon, visible from the same point. Usually, the length of the lunar month fluctuates and is a fractional number of days. This has to be compensated for by adding a day.

The solar-lunar calendar takes into account both the tropical year and moon month. It takes into account the number of days in a month, depending on the alternation of phases of the moon. The number of lunar months that “fit” into a tropical year also changes.

Every nation has its own calendar

Sometimes people cannot switch to the generally accepted calendar, considering theirs to be the most correct. What calendars are there in the world? For example, in Israel, along with the official Gregorian calendar, the Hebrew calendar is used. The Israeli people celebrate holidays according to their calendar and even write the corresponding dates in official documents. This calendar also went through a period of formation, and in different years characterized by different features.

In Japan in the nineteenth century, the Gregorian calendar was officially introduced. However, traditional Japanese remained, and its system of calculating years, just like in Israel, is used by the people.

Most famous calendar, which is not currently used, is perhaps the Mayan calendar. This ancient people managed to create his own chronology system in such a way that the echoes of his efforts reached modern people. After all, the end of the world that we experienced in 2012 was mistakenly “read” and predicted thanks to this calendar.

To answer the question of what kind of calendars there are, one article is not enough. We did not mention the Armenian calendar, Irish, Soviet, Ethiopian. Each of them is special and interesting for many facts, not just the name and period of calculation.

There are a variety of types of calendars, and this word itself comes from the ancient calendarium (from Latin - debt book), according to which debtors in Ancient Rome paid the due interest on the day of the calendar. In general, a calendar is a system for calculating time intervals, based on the periodicity of the movement of the Moon and the Sun, which is where almost all types of calendars originated.

Separation

Both solar and lunar calculations of time intervals fell out of use quite a long time ago, remaining only at the disposal of zealous gardeners. However, they are constantly used for religious purposes, which is where the incessant disagreement between ministers of different cults about the methods of counting comes from. Today, the types of calendars differ, rather, in the design of the list of days of the year, where they are divided into months and weeks, indicating weekdays and holidays.

The design can be very different. Everyone uses either a tabletop option, or a flip-over, or a wall-mounted one. All types of calendars in modern world- these are reference periodicals that sequentially list the days, weeks, and months of the current year, often with accompanying information of a very different nature.

Quite often, on each page somewhere on the side the position of the Sun or Moon on a given day is indicated, but not all types of calendars provide this information.

Dates

Since time immemorial, each nation has had its own ways of dating events that took place. Many ancient calendars count time from the creation of the world. For example, among the Jews the world arose in 3761 BC, but the Alexandrian calendar designated this date as the twenty-fifth of May 5493 BC. For the Romans, time began with the legendary founding of their capital in 753 BC, and the Parthians began their records and calculations when the first king reigned on the throne.

It is very interesting to study ancient calendars, many of which are historical monuments. For the Egyptians, with each dynasty of the pharaohs, a new countdown of time began. All world religions have founded their own calendar: the Gregorian calendar shows the year 7525 from the creation of the world, the Islamic calendar shows only 1438, according to the Buddhist calendar, humanity has been living in the era of Nirvana for more than two and a half thousand years, and the Baha’i calendar is probably the youngest, there are only 174 The invention of the calendar was inevitable with the development of every civilization.

Causes

Each nation needed calendars for different purposes. For example, the Egyptians designated the end points as the interval between the risings of Sirius, because it was precisely at this time that the Nile, the breadwinner, overflowed every year. It was necessary to accurately calculate the harvest, otherwise the river would remove it, as well as the sowing time, when great stream will subside, leaving behind life-giving silt. And the Egyptians coped with this task very well: they succeeded in inventing the calendar. Scientists around the world note the amazing accuracy of ancient Egyptian calculations.

A Ancient Rus' kept a calendar for all four annual seasons, making extensive use of both the solar and lunar calendars. It was not so simple: every nineteen years it was necessary to include an additional seven months in the general course. However, already in hoary antiquity, the Russians had a week - a seven-day week - long before they were told about the works of the Lord in creating the world. In 988, Christianity was established, and counting began from the creation of Adam, in Byzantine style, although Rus' persistently did everything in its own way, and even the Byzantine calendar operated here with some deviations from the basic counting. For example, the Byzantines celebrated the New Year on September 1, and the Russians, out of habit, celebrated the New Year on March 1. Such “special” calendars were not used anywhere else.

Number systems

When converting a certain date from one calendar to another, it is quite easy to get confused. And in general, time is the most amazing substance; it cannot be felt - smelled, touched. This is the fourth dimension of the physical three-dimensional world.

There are theoretical physicists today who study string theory, they are sure that time does not exist at all. However, we must somehow celebrate our birth, growth, maturation, old age, and departure from this world. Our planet is very small, but there is no single calendar and a unified time system yet.

Moon calendar

The lunar year is not equal to the solar year, it is not tied to the annual movement of our star, therefore the calendar, compiled according to the phases of the Moon, shifts quite strongly relative to the solar one: almost eleven days accumulate in a year, and in thirty-four solar years one lunar excess accumulates. But the changes in the phases of the Moon are much easier to observe; this is generally one of the most easily observed phenomena, which is why the lunar calendar has always been extremely popular.

However, the Moon has a very, very complex orbit, and this movement affects the compilation of the calendar, and therefore its shortcomings over time have ceased to enjoy the indulgence of people. All agricultural work is usually tied to the changes of seasons, which are controlled not by the Moon, but by the Sun. And with rare exceptions (for example, the Islamic calendar), lunar ones were inevitably replaced by solar or lunisolar ones. Moreover, with increasingly developing communications, it was quite difficult to use the lunar calendar: in different latitudes and in different time The time of the moon changes every year, and therefore residents of different countries could not maintain specific terms of contracts.

Lunar-solar calendar

The beginning of the month in this type of calendar is, as in the lunar calendar, neomenia, that is, the first appearance of the thin crescent of the newly born Moon during the setting Sun. The synodic month lasts twenty-nine and a half days, and the tropical year lasts three hundred sixty-five and a quarter days. This means there are 12.36 months in a tropical year.

Thus, the lunisolar annual calendar consisted of twelve months (usual) or thirteen. The calendar year cannot in any way be equal to the tropical one, so it is necessary to insert additional months, which is what people in Ancient Rus' have done since time immemorial.

Solar calendar

This is also a rather complicated calculation, since the tropical year is not equal to the calendar year. However, the solar calendar is closest to the one we use today. Here, too, in a normal year there are three hundred sixty-five days, and in a leap year - three hundred sixty-six, and in order to bring the length of the calendar year closer to the tropical one, the insertion of leap years always occurred.

The Julian calendar inserted an extra day every four years. Thus, in four hundred years a hundred must be added leap days. Nevertheless, there are errors in this calculation. The average length of the year turns out to be slightly longer than the tropical one, accumulating one extra day over one hundred and twenty-eight years, shifting the date of the vernal equinox.

China

The oldest known on Earth (sixteenth century BC) is the Chinese calendar of the Shang era. In general, even then in China chronology was not done in just one way. Solar - for agricultural work, and solar-lunar for other needs, moreover, it also came in two versions. The first is Xia, named after the first dynasty, in East Asia and is now extremely popular. He counted the year from spring. The second is Zhuan, named after the first ancestor of the Qin Dynasty. He counted the New Year in autumn.

Modern China also uses the Gregorian calendar, but the lunar calendar has not been forgotten. For all traditional holidays dates are determined by the Chinese lunar calendar. For example, the Spring Festival - the Eastern New Year - is variable according to lunar calculations, and occurs on the second new moon from winter solstice(between January 21 and February 21).

Apocalypse?

In an article about types of calendars, one cannot remain silent about one of the most famous - the Mayan calendar. The popularity of knowing these ancient civilizations began not so long ago, we owe much to the novelist and mystic, the author the most interesting novels on this topic, to Frank Waters. Now almost every person on earth knows about the inhabitants of America who left a long time ago, but left an abundance of obscure traces. “The Book of Hopi” is the main one that examines this calendar in the most depth. The philosophy of the Aztecs and Mayans about the onset of the sixth and final era of consciousness is very unusual in its worldview.

The author suggested that the end of the calendar warns of a transformation in the consciousness of people around the world. But people greatly simplified this information, which the author presented in the book, and prepared for the inevitable apocalypse, which the Indians planned with a specific date in 2012. By the way, the calendar ended on this date. Apparently, the Mayan monuments have not yet been fully deciphered, and the date is determined incorrectly, otherwise how could humanity survive this fateful day?

Scientists

The researchers say this: ancient artifact not as simple as one might think. The information contained in it is quite possible that it does not even belong to them. She's much, much older. Scientists around the world are trying to decipher this code. And almost any calendar is a separate mathematical system and can be a coded message, as the famous mathematician Pakhomov assures everyone, increasingly exciting public opinion.

Mathematical laws can represent the calendar as a numerical matrix that will decipher various messages from various ancient calendars. This is what this scientist says, and many colleagues agree with him. It is possible that calendars are messages with hidden knowledge that our ancestors have preserved for us.

Calendar poster

Office and industrial premises, as well as ordinary residential buildings and apartments, are very often decorated not with paintings, but with a beautiful modern poster. This calendar-poster is widespread because its production has a fairly low cost and is made not only quickly, but also to the taste of the buyer. This is a classic combination beautiful photography or a slide and a beautifully designed calendar grid for the whole year - economical, convenient, beautiful, and has been in great demand for many years.

A variety of images are possible, since the slide library can be replenished endlessly. Poster calendars can be varnished or laminated. Printing houses in currently have a powerful printing base, and if a real designer works on the image, this product may well be comparable in emotional impact to the highest art.

Desk calendar

Such a product is also usually located on the wall, but this is even more interesting view printed products. Its thematic design, coupled with the very often used accompanying text, is not just a useful thing in the household, it is also a wonderful gift.

Individual design, high quality printing. Typically, a desk calendar consists of six or twelve sheets. In the first case, the printing will be double-sided, and in the second - single-sided. In addition, a cover and backing are almost always present. This is the most prestigious of all types of calendars. It is made in A2 or A3 format - large, colorful and bright. The sheets are clamped with a spring or special clips.

Desk calendar

This is a more modestly executed reminder of the quickly passing time, however, such a calendar still has many beneficial advantages. Its format allows you to always be in front of your eyes, strictly informative, compact, accessible to any vision compared to a pocket or telephone calendar.

A desk calendar made of a “house” can easily be unfolded and folded, and a desk calendar can also serve as an organizer. It is convenient for travel, and many printing companies supply it with high aesthetic qualities.

Modern printing is high-tech printing and ample opportunities for the production of a wide variety of products. The printing house can print calendars of various types and purposes in any quantity; depending on the flight of your imagination, wishes and financial capabilities, even new varieties may appear.

Quarterly calendars (or trio calendars). Perhaps the most common type of calendar, this product is especially in demand in offices; it is convenient to work with such a calendar - you can plan time within an entire quarter. For ease of use, a transparent tape with a movable cursor is installed.
Wall calendars. This type of calendar is printed on both 6 and 12 sheets, with a backing and a main poster. Single-sided or double-sided printing is selected depending on customer requirements. The sheets are attached to a spring into which a crossbar is installed for mounting on the wall.
Calendars "house", "hut" and "pyramid". These are desktop varieties of calendars; the products are distinguished by their original shape - before use they are folded in the form of a house or a pyramid. This product is convenient to use at home or in the office; the calendar can be placed on any surface.
Pocket calendars. Compact products are convenient to carry in purses and pockets, handbags and purses. This type of calendar can be used as a promotional souvenir - inexpensive and effective.
Desktop desk calendars. The calendar block is wound on a spring, the number of sheets can be 6 or 12, depending on this, double-sided or single-sided printing is selected.
Poster calendars. The name speaks for itself; these types of calendars are one sheet of the required format with a background image and a calendar grid printed on it.
Different kinds tear-off calendars (without springs)

Additionally, finishing processing of products can be carried out, depending on the type of calendar:

Embossing
Lamination
Felling
Figure cutting (calendar production non-standard shape)

2018 will come in Russia

Most countries in the world live according to the Gregorian calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII to replace the Julian one. The difference between these calendars is now 13 days and increases by 3 days every 400 years. That is why such a holiday as the Old New Year- This is the New Year according to the old style, according to the Julian calendar, which continues to be celebrated out of habit in a number of countries. But no one refuses the usual New Year either.

Gregorian calendar was introduced in 1582 in Catholic countries and gradually, over several centuries, spread to other states. It is according to him that 2018 will begin on January 1.

The year 2561 will come in Thailand

In Thailand in 2018 (Gregorian calendar) the year will be 2561. Officially Thailand lives according to Buddhist lunar calendar, where the calendar is calculated from the Buddha's acquisition of nirvana.

But the calendar we are used to is also in use. For foreigners, exceptions are often made and the year on goods or documents may be indicated in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. They also live according to the Buddhist calendar in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

It's 2011 in Ethiopia

The Ethiopian calendar lags behind our usual one by about 8 years. And besides, there are 13 months in a year. 12 months of 30 days and the last, 13th month is very short - 5 or 6 days depending on whether it is a leap year or not. And the day begins not at midnight, but at sunrise. The Ethiopian calendar is based on the ancient Alexandrian calendar.

The year 5778 will come in Israel

The Hebrew calendar is officially used in Israel along with the Gregorian calendar. According to this calendar, Jewish holidays, memorial days and birthdays of relatives are celebrated. Months on this calendar begin strictly on the new moon, and the first day of the year (Rosh Hashanah) can only fall on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday. And in order for Rosh Hashanah to fall on a valid day of the week, the previous year is extended by one day.

The Jewish calendar begins with the very first new moon, which occurred on Monday, October 7, 3761 BC. e., in 5 hours and 204 parts. An hour in the Jewish calendar consists of 1,080 parts, and each part is made up of 76 moments.

The year 1439 will come in Pakistan

The Islamic calendar is used to determine dates religious holidays
and as the official calendar in some Muslim countries. Calculation
dates back to the date of the migration of the Prophet Muhammad and the first Muslims from Mecca to
Medina (622 AD).

The day in this calendar begins at sunset, not at midnight. The beginning of the month is considered to be the day when the crescent moon appears for the first time after the new moon.
The length of the Islamic calendar year is 10–11 days less than the solar one
years, and the months shift relative to the seasons. Those months that fell on
summer, after a while they will become winter, and vice versa.

The year 1396 will come in Iran

The Iranian calendar, or solar Hijri, is the official calendar in
Iran and Afghanistan. This astronomical solar calendar was developed
with the participation of Omar Khayyam.

The Iranian calendar dates from the Hijri, like the Islamic calendar, but it is based on the solar year, so its months always fall at the same time of year. The Iranian calendar week begins on Saturday and ends on Friday, which is considered a day off.

According to the Indian calendar, the year will be 1939

The unified national calendar of India was developed relatively recently and
adopted in 1957. His calculations are based on the Saka era - ancient system
chronology, common in India and Cambodia.

Also in India there are other calendars used by different nationalities and tribes. Some take as their starting point the date of Krishna’s death (3102 BC), others take Vikrama’s rise to power in 57, and others, according to the Buddhist calendar, begin counting the years from the date of death of Buddha Gautama (543 AD).

It's 30 years in Japan

In Japan, there is both a chronological system from the Nativity of Christ and a traditional one, which is based on the years of reign of the Japanese emperors. Each emperor gives a name to the era - the motto of his reign.

Since 1989, the “Era of Peace and Tranquility” in Japan, the throne has been occupied by Emperor Akihito. The previous era - the “Enlightened World” - lasted 64 years. In most official documents, it is customary to use 2 dates - according to the Gregorian calendar and according to the year of the current era in Japan.

Instructions

The calendar allows you to record dates and measure time intervals. This is necessary to register events in chronological order. Since ancient times, calendars have been used for appointments church holidays– including those without exact date, as is the case with Easter. IN social life wage, interest payments and other obligations are also tied to time intervals.

The main types of calendars are solar, lunar and lunisolar. The length of the day is determined by the rotation of the Earth around its axis. The lunar month is tied to the revolution of the Moon around the Earth. The solar year is determined by the rotation of the Earth around the Sun.

The ancient Egyptians, Mayans and most modern countries adhere to the solar calendar. It is tied to the length of the solar year, which has 365.2422 days. The civil calendar is adjusted to the integer 365, and the missing fractional part is taken into account by adding one day to the leap year.

The lunisolar calendar attempts to reconcile the length of the solar year with the lunar months using adjustments. This is the officially adopted Jewish calendar in Israel.

In different historical periods Attempts have been made to improve timekeeping. The problem is that both the solar year and the lunar month contain fractional parts that can be counted differently. This is done through amendments at certain intervals.

Greek calendar. The year consisted of 354 days. Every 8 years, 90 days were added to it, divided into three months.

The Roman calendar consisted of 10 months, then two more were added. Around 451 BC. the beginning of the year was moved to January 1 and the sequence of months led to the current form.

Julian calendar. At first, the dates did not coincide with natural seasons. After the reform of Julius Caesar, a leap year appeared. The Julian calendar is called the "old style".

Augustian calendar. When Caesar died, a leap month was added not once every four years, but once every three. This mistake was corrected by Emperor Augustus. He also changed the length of some months. As a result, the now familiar system emerged.

Chinese calendar. Several thousand years BC. Emperor Yao ordered the creation of a calendar convenient for agricultural work. Until 1930, peasants used the ancient calendar, then it was banned.

Gregorian calendar. Pope Gregory XIII added to the Julian calendar, and March 21 became the day of the vernal equinox. Since 1582, the so-called a new style. Correcting the dates created confusion because Gregory XIII ordered corrections to be made to past dates. Now the Gregorian calendar is used in Russia, the USA and other countries. The Gregorian calendar is consistent with natural phenomena, but it also has shortcomings. There is talk about improving and reforming the calendar.

Edwards' perpetual calendar is divided into quarters. Each week starts on Monday, which is convenient for business. Friday does not fall on the 13th. In the United States, a bill was even introduced in the House of Representatives to switch to this calendar.