In Europe, starting in 1582, the reformed (Gregorian) calendar gradually spread. The Gregorian calendar gives a much more accurate approximation of the tropical year. First Gregorian calendar was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in Catholic countries on October 4, 1582 to replace the previous one: the next day after Thursday, October 4, was Friday, October 15.
Gregorian calendar (" new style”) is a time calculation system based on the cyclic revolution of the Earth around the Sun. The duration of the year is taken equal to 365.2425 days. The Gregorian calendar contains 97 by 400 years.

The difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars

At the time of the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, the difference between it and the Julian calendar was 10 days. However, this difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars gradually increases over time due to the difference in the rules for determining leap years. Therefore, when determining which date of the “new calendar” falls on this or that date of the “old calendar”, it is necessary to take into account the century in which the event took place. For example, if in the XIV century this difference was 8 days, then in the XX century it was already 13 days.

From here follows the distribution of leap years:

  • a year whose number is a multiple of 400 is a leap year;
  • the remaining years, the number of which is a multiple of 100, are non-leap years;
  • the rest of the years, the number of which is a multiple of 4, are leap years.

Thus, 1600 and 2000 were leap years, but 1700, 1800 and 1900 were not leap years. Nor will 2100 be a leap year. An error of one day compared to the year of the equinoxes in the Gregorian calendar will accumulate in about 10 thousand years (in the Julian - in about 128 years).

Time of approval of the Gregorian calendar

The Gregorian calendar, adopted in most countries of the world, was not immediately put into use:
1582 - Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland, France, Lorraine, Holland, Luxembourg;
1583 - Austria (part), Bavaria, Tyrol.
1584 - Austria (part), Switzerland, Silesia, Westphalia.
1587 - Hungary.
1610 - Prussia.
1700 - Protestant German states, Denmark.
1752 - Great Britain.
1753 - Sweden, Finland.
1873 - Japan.
1911 - China.
1916 - Bulgaria.
1918 - Soviet Russia.
1919 - Serbia, Romania.
1927 - Turkey.
1928 - Egypt.
1929 - Greece.

Gregorian calendar in Russia

As you know, until February 1918, Russia, like most Orthodox countries, lived according to the Julian calendar. The "new style" of chronology appeared in Russia in January 1918, when the Council of People's Commissars replaced the traditional Julian calendar with the Gregorian one. As stated in the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars, this decision was made "in order to establish in Russia the same time calculation with almost all cultural peoples." In accordance with the decree, the terms of all obligations were considered to have come 13 days later. Until July 1, 1918, a kind of transitional period was established, when it was allowed to use the old style chronology. But at the same time, the order of writing old and new dates was clearly established in the document: it was necessary to write “after the number of each day according to the new calendar, in brackets the number according to the calendar that was still in force”.

Events and documents are dated with a double date in cases where it is required to specify the old and new styles. For example, for anniversaries, major events in all biographical works, and dates of events and historical documents international relations associated with countries where the Gregorian calendar was introduced earlier than in Russia.

Date according to the new style (Gregorian calendar)

On which day of September should the New Year be celebrated if we live in the 21st century? When, in terms of our time, Archpriest Avvakum and the noblewoman Morozova were born, when St. Kiril Beloezersky? How to recalculate the dates of Russian and Western European history if Russia up until 1918 lived according to the Julian calendar? This article provides answers to these and other questions.

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Julian calendar, developed by a group of Alexandrian astronomers led by Sosigenes, was introduced Julius Caesar from January 1, 45 BC. e. The year according to the Julian calendar began on January 1, since it was on this day from 153 BC. e. consuls elected by the people's assembly took office.

Julian calendar developed by a group of Alexandrian astronomers led by Sosigenes

AT Kievan Rus The Julian calendar appeared at the time Vladimir Svyatoslavovich with the introduction of Christianity. Thus, in The Tale of Bygone Years, the Julian calendar is used with the Roman names of the months and the Byzantine era. The chronology was from the Creation of the world, taking as a basis 5508 BC. e. - Byzantine version of this date. The beginning of the new year was decided to be calculated from March 1, in accordance with the ancient Slavic calendar.

The Julian calendar, which replaced the old Roman calendar, was known in Kievan Rus as the "Peaceful Circle", the "Church Circle", the Indiction and the "Great Indiction".


"Peace Circle"

The feast of the Church New Year, when the year begins on September 1, was established by the holy fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, who decided to start counting from this day church year. In Russia, at the time Ivan III in 1492, the September style became predominant, replacing the March one, the beginning of the year was moved to September 1. The scribes of some annals took into account the transitions to new styles of reckoning and made amendments to the annals. This explains the fact that the chronology in different annals may differ by one or two years. AT modern Russia the julian calendar is commonly called old style.

Currently, the Julian calendar is used by some local Orthodox churches: Jerusalem, Russian, Serbian, Georgian. In 2014, the Polish Orthodox Church returned to the Julian calendar. The Julian calendar is followed by some monasteries and parishes in other European countries, as well as in the USA, monasteries and other institutions of Athos, Greek Old Calendarists and other Old Calendarists who did not accept the transition to the New Julian calendar in the Church of Greece and other churches in the 1920s.

In a number of countries where the Julian calendar was used until the beginning of the 20th century, as, for example, in Greece, the dates historical events that occurred before the transition to the new style continue to be nominally celebrated on the same dates on which they occurred according to the Julian calendar. Yes, everyone who accepted new calendar Orthodox churches, except for the Church of Finland, still calculate the day of Easter celebration and holidays, the dates of which depend on the date of Easter, according to the Julian calendar.

In the 16th century, astronomical calculations were made in the West, as a result of which it was stated that the Julian calendar is true, although there are some errors in it - for example, an extra day accumulates every 128 years.

At the time of the introduction of the Julian calendar, the vernal equinox fell on March 21, both according to the accepted calendar system and in fact. But to XVI century the difference between the solar and the Julian calendar was already about ten days. As a result, the day of the spring equinox was no longer on the 21st, but on March 11th.

Because of this, for example, Christmas, originally almost coinciding with winter solstice, gradually shifts towards spring. The difference is most noticeable in spring and autumn near the equinoxes, when the rate of change in the length of the day and the position of the sun is maximum. Astronomers took into account these errors, and on October 4, 1582 Pope Gregory XIII introduced a mandatory calendar for all Western Europe. The preparation of the reform at the direction of Gregory XIII was carried out by astronomers Christopher Clavius and Aloysius Lily. The results of their labors were recorded in a papal bull signed by the pontiff at Villa Mondragone and named after the first line Inter gravissimas ("Among the most important"). So the Julian calendar was replaced by Gregorian.


The next day after the fourth of October in 1582 was no longer the fifth, but the fifteenth of October. However, in the following year, 1583, the Council of the Eastern Patriarchs in Constantinople condemned not only the Gregorian Paschalia, but the entire Gregorian Menologion, anathematizing all the followers of these Latin innovations. In the Patriarchal and Synodal Sigilion, approved by the three Eastern Patriarchs - Jeremiah of Constantinople, Sylvester of Alexandria and Sophronius of Jerusalem, was noted:

Who does not follow the customs of the Church and the way the Seven Saints commanded Ecumenical Councils about Holy Pascha and the Mental Word and goodness, they legislated us to follow, but he wants to follow the Gregorian Paschal and the Mental Word, he, like the godless astronomers, opposes all the definitions of the Holy Councils and wants to change or weaken them - let it be anathema - excommunicated from the Church of Christ and the assembly faithful.

This decision was subsequently confirmed by the Councils of Constantinople in 1587 and 1593. At the meetings of the Commission of the Russian Astronomical Society in 1899 on the issue of calendar reform, Professor V. V. Bolotov stated:

The Gregorian reform has not only no justification for itself, but even an apology... The Nicene Council did not decide anything of the kind. I find the abolition of the Julian style in Russia by no means undesirable. I still remain a determined admirer of the Julian calendar. Its extreme simplicity is its scientific advantage over all other corrected calendars. I think that the cultural mission of Russia on this issue is to keep the Julian calendar alive for a few more centuries and, through this, to make it easier for Western nations return from the useless Gregorian reform to the unspoiled old style.

The Protestant countries abandoned the Julian calendar gradually, over the course of the 17th-18th centuries, the last being Great Britain and Sweden. Often, the transition to the Gregorian calendar was accompanied by serious riots, riots, and even murders. Now the Gregorian calendar is officially adopted in all countries except Thailand and Ethiopia. In Russia, the Gregorian calendar was introduced by a decree of January 26, 1918 of the Council of People's Commissars, according to which in 1918, after January 31, February 14 follows.


The difference between the dates of the Julian and Gregorian calendar is constantly increasing due to different rules definitions of leap years: in the Julian calendar, all years divisible by 4 are such, while in the Gregorian years divisible by 100 and not divisible by 400 are not leap years.

Earlier dates are given in accordance with the proleptic calendar, which is used to denote dates earlier than the date of the calendar's appearance. In countries where the Julian calendar was adopted, dates prior to 46 B.C. e. are indicated according to the proleptic Julian calendar, and where it was not, according to the proleptic Gregorian.

In the 18th century, the Julian calendar lagged behind the Gregorian by 11 days, in the 19th century - by 12 days, in the 20th century - by 13. In the 21st century, a difference of 13 days remains. In the 22nd century, the Julian and Gregorian calendars will diverge by 14 days.

The Orthodox Church of Russia uses the Julian calendar and celebrates the Nativity of Christ and other church holidays according to the Julian calendar, following the decisions of the Ecumenical Councils, and the Catholics - according to the Gregorian. However, the Gregorian calendar violates the sequence of many biblical events and leads to canonical violations: for example, the Apostolic Canons do not allow the celebration of Holy Pascha earlier than Jewish Pascha. Due to the fact that the Julian and Gregorian calendars increase the difference in dates over time, Orthodox churches that use the Julian calendar will celebrate Christmas from 2101 not on January 7, as it happens now, but on January 8, but from 9901 the celebration will take place on March 8th. In the liturgical calendar, the date will still correspond to 25 December.

Here is a table for calculating the difference between the dates of the Julian and Gregorian calendar:

Difference, days Period (Julian calendar) Period (Gregorian calendar)
10 October 5, 1582 - February 29, 1700 October 15, 1582 - March 11, 1700
11 March 1, 1700 - February 29, 1800 March 12, 1700 - March 12, 1800
12 March 1, 1800 - February 29, 1900 March 13, 1800 - March 13, 1900
13 March 1, 1900 - February 29, 2100 March 14, 1900 - March 14, 2100
14 March 1, 2100 - February 29, 2200 March 15, 2100 - March 15, 2200
15 March 1, 2200 - February 29, 2300 March 16, 2200 - March 16, 2300

In accordance with the generally accepted rule, dates that fell between 1582 and the moment the Gregorian calendar was adopted in the country are indicated both in the old and in the new style. In this case, the new style is indicated in brackets.

For example, Christmas is celebrated in Russia on December 25 (January 7), where December 25 is the date according to the Julian calendar (old style), and January 7 is the date according to the Gregorian calendar (new style).

Consider detailed example. The Hieromartyr and Confessor Archpriest Avvakum Petrov was executed on April 14, 1682. According to the table, we find the time period that is suitable for this year - this is the very first line. Day difference between Julian and Gregorian calendar in this time interval was 10 days. The date April 14 is indicated here according to the old style, and in order to calculate the date according to the new style for the 17th century, we add 10 days, it turns out, April 24 - according to the new style for 1682. But in order to calculate the date of the new style for our, XXI century, it is necessary to add not 10, but 13 days to the date according to the old style - thus, it will be the date of April 27th.

At all times, many attempts have been made to streamline the reckoning. Were taken as a basis various ways measurements of time, calendars took different events, both religious and political, as a starting point. Exist lunar calendars, based on the periodicity of the movement of the Moon, solar, based on the revolution of the Earth around the Sun, mixed. Not so long ago, namely on January 31, 1918, Soviet Russia switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. What is the difference between the Julian calendar and the Gregorian calendar?
Julian calendar was introduced during the reign of Julius Caesar, in 45 BC, and was named after him. This solar calendar, oriented to the time of successive passage of the equinox point by the Sun, was developed by the emperor's court astronomers.
The reason for the appearance Gregorian calendar there were disagreements in the celebration of Easter: according to the Julian calendar, this bright holiday fell on different days weeks, while Christians believed that Easter should be celebrated only on Sunday. By order of the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Gregory XIII, the Gregorian solar calendar was prepared and put into operation on February 24, 1582, which is rather a reformed Julian calendar.

While the Gregorian calendar was adopted to regularize the celebration of Easter, its introduction broke the sequence Gospel Events. So the Russian Orthodox Church still calculates all passing holidays according to the Julian calendar, and not passing holidays according to the “new style”.

Leap years

Both one and the second calendar, consist of 365 days in a normal year and 366 days in a leap year, include 12 months, 7 of which contain 31 days, 4 months - 30 days, and February is either 28 or 29, depending from a year. The only difference is the frequency of leap years.
The Julian calendar assumes that a leap year repeats every three years for a fourth. But in this way it turns out that calendar year 11 minutes longer than astronomical. That is, every 128 years an extra day is formed. The Gregorian calendar also recognizes every fourth year as a leap year, except for years divisible by 100 in cases where they are not divisible by 400. Thus, an extra day is formed only in 3200 years.

Beginning of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendar

At the time of using the Julian calendar, the beginning of the year was determined first on the 1st of September, and then on the 1st of March, as they said, the autumn or spring new year. In any case, the year began with a new season. According to the Gregorian calendar, the new year begins on December 1, that is, in the middle of the season.

TheDifference.ru determined that the difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars is as follows:

The Julian calendar is simpler for reckoning, but ahead of the astronomical year in time.
The Gregorian calendar arose after the reform of the Julian calendar, taking it as a basis.
The Orthodox Church believes that the Gregorian calendar violates the sequence of biblical events.

The Gregorian calendar was introduced Pope Gregory XIII in Catholic countries October 4, 1582 instead of the old Julian: the next day after Thursday, October 4, was Friday, October 15.

Reasons for switching to the Gregorian calendar

The reason for the adoption of the new calendar was the gradual shift in the Julian calendar of the day of the vernal equinox, according to which the date of Easter was determined, and the mismatch of the Easter full moons with astronomical ones. Julian calendar error at 11 min. 14 sec. in a year, which Sosigen neglected, by the 16th century led to the fact that the vernal equinox fell not on March 21, but on the 11th. The shift led to the correspondence of the same days of the year to other natural phenomena. Julian year in 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes and 46 seconds, as later scientists found out, was 11 minutes 14 seconds longer than the present solar year. "Extra" days ran for 128 years. So, for a millennium and a half, humanity lagged behind the real astronomical time by as much as ten days! Reform of Pope Gregory XII I was intended to eliminate this error.

Before Gregory XIII, Popes Paul III and Pius IV tried to implement the project, but they did not achieve success. The preparation of the reform at the direction of Gregory XIII was carried out by the astronomers Christopher Clavius ​​and Aloysius Lily.

The Gregorian calendar is much more accurate than the Julian calendar: it gives a much better approximation to the tropical year.

The new calendar immediately at the time of adoption shifted the current date by 10 days and corrected the accumulated errors.

In the new calendar, a new, more precise rule about a leap year began to operate. A leap year has 366 days if:

  • year number is a multiple of 400 (1600, 2000, 2400);
  • other years - the number of the year is a multiple of 4 and not a multiple of 100 (… 1892, 1896, 1904, 1908…).

The rules for calculating Christian Easter have been modified. Currently, the date of Christian Easter in each particular year is calculated according to the lunisolar calendar, which makes Easter a transitional holiday.

Switching to the Gregorian calendar

The transition to the new calendar was carried out gradually, in most European countries this happened during the 16th and 17th centuries. And not everywhere this transition went smoothly. Spain, Italy, Portugal, the Commonwealth (Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Poland), France, Lorraine were the first to switch to the Gregorian calendar. In 1583, Gregory XIII sent an embassy to Patriarch Jeremiah II of Constantinople with a proposal to switch to a new calendar, the proposal was rejected as not in accordance with the canonical rules for celebrating Easter. In some countries that switched to the Gregorian calendar, the Julian chronology was subsequently resumed as a result of their accession to other states. In connection with the transition of countries to the Gregorian calendar at different times, factual errors of perception may occur: for example, it is known that Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616. In fact, these events took place with a difference of 10 days, since in Catholic Spain the new style was in effect from the very introduction of it by the pope, and Great Britain switched to the new calendar only in 1752. There were cases when the transition to the Gregorian calendar was accompanied by serious unrest.

In Russia, the Gregorian calendar was introduced in 1918: in 1918, January 31 was followed by February 14. That is, in a number of countries, as in Russia, in 1900 there was a day on February 29, while in most countries it was not. In 1948, at the Moscow Conference of Orthodox Churches, it was decided that Easter, like all movable holidays, should be calculated according to the Alexandrian Paschalia (Julian calendar), and non-transitional ones according to the calendar according to which the Local Church lives. The Finnish Orthodox Church celebrates Easter according to the Gregorian calendar.

For all of us, the calendar is a familiar and even ordinary thing. This ancient human invention records days, numbers, months, seasons, periodicity natural phenomena which are based on the movement system heavenly bodies: Moon, Sun, stars. The Earth sweeps through the solar orbit, leaving years and centuries behind.

Moon calendar

In one day, the Earth makes one complete rotation around its own axis. It goes around the sun once a year. Solar or lasts three hundred and sixty-five days, five hours, forty-eight minutes, and forty-six seconds. Therefore, there is no integer number of days. Hence the difficulty in drawing up an accurate calendar for the correct timing.

The ancient Romans and Greeks used a convenient and simple calendar. The rebirth of the moon occurs at intervals of 30 days, and to be precise, in twenty-nine days, twelve hours and 44 minutes. That is why the days, and then the months, could be counted according to the changes of the moon.

In the beginning, this calendar had ten months, which were named after the Roman gods. From the third century to ancient world an analog based on a four-year lunisolar cycle was used, which gave an error in the value of the solar year in one day.

In Egypt, they used a solar calendar based on observations of the Sun and Sirius. The year according to it was three hundred and sixty-five days. It consisted of twelve months of thirty days. After its expiration, five more days were added. This was formulated as "in honor of the birth of the gods."

History of the Julian calendar

Further changes took place in 46 BC. e. Emperor ancient rome Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar following the Egyptian model. In it, the value of the year was taken solar year, which was a little more than astronomical and amounted to three hundred and sixty-five days and six hours. The first of January was the beginning of the year. Christmas according to the Julian calendar began to be celebrated on the seventh of January. So there was a transition to a new chronology.

In gratitude for the reform, the Senate of Rome renamed the month Quintilis, when Caesar was born, into Julius (now it is July). A year later, the emperor was killed, and the Roman priests, either out of ignorance or deliberately, again began to confuse the calendar and began to declare every third year a leap year. As a result, from the forty-fourth to the ninth year BC. e. instead of nine, twelve leap years were declared.

The Emperor Octivian August saved the situation. By his order, there were no leap years for the next sixteen years, and the rhythm of the calendar was restored. In his honor, the month of Sextilis was renamed Augustus (August).

For the Orthodox Church, the simultaneity of church holidays was very important. The date of the celebration of Easter was discussed at the First and this issue became one of the main ones. The rules established at this Council for the exact calculation of this celebration cannot be changed under pain of anathema.

Gregorian calendar

Chapter catholic church Pope Gregory the Thirteenth in 1582 approved and introduced a new calendar. It was called "Gregorian". It would seem that the Julian calendar was good for everyone, according to which Europe lived for more than sixteen centuries. However, Gregory the Thirteenth considered that the reform was necessary to determine a more accurate date for the celebration of Easter, as well as to ensure that the day returned to the twenty-first of March.

In 1583, the Council of the Eastern Patriarchs in Constantinople condemned the adoption of the Gregorian calendar as violating the liturgical cycle and calling into question the canons of the Ecumenical Councils. Indeed, in some years it violates the basic rule of celebrating Easter. It happens that Catholic Bright Sunday falls in time before Jewish Easter, and this is not allowed by the canons of the church.

The chronology in Russia

On the territory of our country, starting from the tenth century, the New Year was celebrated on the first of March. Five centuries later, in 1492, in Russia, the beginning of the year was moved, according to church traditions, to the first of September. This went on for over two hundred years.

On December 19, seven thousand two hundred and eight, Tsar Peter the Great issued a decree that the Julian calendar in Russia, adopted from Byzantium along with baptism, was still valid. The start date has changed. It has been officially approved in the country. New Year according to the Julian calendar was to be celebrated on the first of January "from the Nativity of Christ".

After the revolution of the fourteenth of February, one thousand nine hundred and eighteen, new rules were introduced in our country. The Gregorian calendar ruled out three within each four hundred years. It was this that was adopted.

What is the difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars? The difference between in the calculation of leap years. It increases over time. If in the sixteenth century it was ten days, then in the seventeenth it increased to eleven, in the eighteenth century it was already equal to twelve days, thirteen in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, and by the twenty-second century this figure will reach fourteen days.

The Orthodox Church of Russia uses the Julian calendar, following the decisions of the Ecumenical Councils, and the Catholics use the Gregorian.

You can often hear the question of why the whole world celebrates Christmas on the twenty-fifth of December, and we - on the seventh of January. The answer is quite obvious. The Orthodox Russian Church celebrates Christmas according to the Julian calendar. This also applies to other major church holidays.

Today, the Julian calendar in Russia is called the "old style". At present, its scope is very limited. It is used by some Orthodox Churches - Serbian, Georgian, Jerusalem and Russian. In addition, the Julian calendar is used in some Orthodox monasteries in Europe and the United States.

in Russia

In our country, the issue of calendar reform has been raised repeatedly. In 1830 it was set Russian Academy Sciences. Prince K.A. Lieven, who at that time was the Minister of Education, considered this proposal untimely. Only after the revolution, the issue was submitted to a meeting of the Council of People's Commissars Russian Federation. Already on January 24, Russia adopted the Gregorian calendar.

Features of the transition to the Gregorian calendar

For Orthodox Christians, the introduction of a new style by the authorities caused certain difficulties. The new year turned out to be shifted into when any fun is not welcome. Moreover, January 1 is the day of memory of St. Boniface, who patronizes everyone who wants to give up drunkenness, and our country celebrates this day with a glass in hand.

Gregorian and Julian calendar: differences and similarities

Both of them consist of three hundred and sixty-five days in a normal year and three hundred and sixty-six in a leap year, have 12 months, 4 of which are 30 days and 7 are 31 days, February is either 28 or 29. The difference lies only in the frequency of leap years. years.

According to the Julian calendar, a leap year occurs every three years. In this case, it turns out that the calendar year is 11 minutes longer than the astronomical year. In other words, after 128 years there is an extra day. The Gregorian calendar also recognizes that the fourth year is a leap year. The exceptions are those years that are a multiple of 100, as well as those that can be divided by 400. Based on this, an extra day appears only after 3200 years.

What awaits us in the future

Unlike the Gregorian, the Julian calendar is simpler for chronology, but it is ahead of the astronomical year. The basis of the first became the second. According to the Orthodox Church, the Gregorian calendar violates the sequence of many biblical events.

Due to the fact that the Julian and Gregorian calendars increase the difference in dates over time, Orthodox churches that use the first of them will celebrate Christmas from 2101 not on January 7, as it happens now, but on January 8, but from nine thousand of the nine hundred and first year, the celebration will take place on the eighth of March. In the liturgical calendar, the date will still correspond to the twenty-fifth of December.

In countries where the Julian calendar was used by the beginning of the twentieth century, such as Greece, the dates of all historical events that occurred after October fifteenth, one thousand five hundred and eighty-two, are nominally noted on the same dates when they happened.

Consequences of calendar reforms

Currently, the Gregorian calendar is fairly accurate. According to many experts, it does not need to be changed, but the question of its reform has been discussed for several decades. In this case, we are not talking about the introduction of a new calendar or any new methods of accounting for leap years. It's about about rearranging the days of the year so that the beginning of each year falls on one day, such as Sunday.

Today calendar months number from 28 to 31 days, the length of the quarter ranges from ninety to ninety-two days, with the first half of the year shorter than the second by 3-4 days. This complicates the work of financial and planning authorities.

What are the new calendar projects

Over the past one hundred and sixty years, various projects have been proposed. In 1923, a calendar reform committee was created under the League of Nations. After the end of the Second World War, this issue was referred to the Economic and Social Committee of the United Nations.

Despite the fact that there are quite a lot of them, preference is given to two options - the 13-month calendar of the French philosopher Auguste Comte and the proposal of the French astronomer G. Armelin.

In the first variant, the month always starts on Sunday and ends on Saturday. In a year, one day has no name at all and is inserted at the end of the last thirteenth month. AT leap year such a day appears in the sixth month. According to experts, this calendar has many significant shortcomings, so more attention is paid to the project of Gustave Armelin, according to which the year consists of twelve months and four quarters of ninety-one days each.

In the first month of the quarter there are thirty-one days, in the next two - thirty. The first day of each year and quarter begins on Sunday and ends on Saturday. In a normal year, one extra day is added after December 30th, and in a leap year after June 30th. This project has been approved by France, India, Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and some other countries. For a long time General Assembly delayed the approval of the project, and in recent times this work at the UN has ceased.

Will Russia return to the "old style"

It is rather difficult for foreigners to explain what the concept of "Old New Year"Why do we celebrate Christmas later than Europeans. Today there are people who want to make the transition to the Julian calendar in Russia. Moreover, the initiative comes from well-deserved and respected people. In their opinion, 70% of Russian Orthodox Russians have the right to live according to the calendar used by the Russian Orthodox Church.