Many syscals provide 13 months. This is unpopular for many
reasons. You can argue against this objection all you want, the
fact remains that, in many cultures, 13 is unacceptable.
Unfamiliar Days
Many syscals provide new day names, such as the French Republican
Calendars unidi, duodi &c. These have a certain attraction, but
they are not without problems, mainly the erosion of cultural
reference points.
Loss of Weekends
Syscals which excessively focus on rationality (FRC, New
Calendar) reduce the `rest days`. This was one of the
contributing reasons for the failure of the French Republican
Calendar.
Unfamiliar Terminology
Many syscals refer to incongruous naming schemes, like `bimonth`.
Loss of Holidays
Many syscals overturn or move traditional holidays (Thanksgiving
&c). People *really* like their holidays; many of them have been
obtained through the force of organised labour; others
commemorate the deeds of the past and are part of national,
regional and supra-national identity.
Loss of Productivity
Conversely to the above, some syscals actually increase the
number of days people are not working. This leads to strong
objections from the Capitalist classes; until such time as these
objections can be rejected there needs to be some consistency.
Loss of Traditional Measure
By altering week length, or dividing months differently, many
religious or traditional elements are lost or become overly
complex. A new calendar should not minimise impact on these old
calculations.
Problems with Julian/Gregorian System
I'm not proposing to delve too deeply into the problems with the
current system. Anyone who has any interest in Calendrical Reform
knows these issues. To keep it short, there are three primary
complaints, viz:-
- Unequal Months
- Shifting Days
- Overly Rigid
So, what should a reformed Calendar do?
In order to minimise friction, a reformed calendar should:-
Retain month structure as much as possible
Retain local naming conventions
Retain Holidays
Retain Weekends
Retain Productivity
Retain Traditional Measures
Retain 7 Day Week
My Modest Proposal
Use ancient structure for new
A Reformed Calendar should look to the original calendars used
by humans. Many early cultures, and their descendants today,
concentrate on the Solstices.
A Reformed Calendar should acknowledge the Holiday 'seasons'
which occur at Solstice
12 Months of 28 Days
Beginning on Jan 1, each month is the same length.
Each Month (or Month Ordinary) retains its traditional local name
Each day retains its traditional local name
Each traditional local holiday remains largely in place, with
some exceptions.
Plus: 2 Half-Months of 14 Days
Located after June and after December
Coterminous with Midsummer and Midwinter Solstices
Kalends Days
One *Kalends* at the end of each year, after the Winter(NH),
before the start of the new year.
One *Ides* every four years, after the Summer(NH)
Issues
Doesn't work for other religions
Judaism (for instance) relies on a 7-day week, and does not allow
`intercalenary` days.
Birthdays
Because the calendar is quite different, birth dates from the
Gregorian calendar do not neatly align. This can be assuaged
somewhat by taking the absolute year-day, and mapping this to the
new calendar.
Sample
┌────
│ January February March
│ Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
│ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
│ 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
│ 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
│ 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
│
│ April May June
│ Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
│ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
│ 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
│ 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
│ 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
│
│ Summer July August
│ Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
│ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
│ 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
│ 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
│ (Ides) 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
│
│ September October November
│ Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
│ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
│ 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
│ 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
│ 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
│
│ December Winter
│ Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
│ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
│ 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
│ 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
│ 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Kalends
└────
