Calendar
Any system of reckoning time, typically defining the
length
and
divisions of the year.
The Roman calendar was the predecessor of the Julian calendar.
For example October was the eight month of the old Roman year, which began in spring.
The Julian calendar retained the old name, but made it the tenth month, and gave it
thirty-one days.
Ruth Gregory's
Anniversaries and Holidays explains the role the Christian Church played in the modern calendar.
The first Christian church calendar was derived from the Hebrew calendar.
At the beginning of the Christian era, many congregations developed their own calendars.
The result was universal confusion. Finally, at the Council of Nicaea
in A.D. 325, the Church accepted the Julian calendar as the basis
for reckoning ecclesiastical dates. The inaccuracies in the Julian calendar
led to the promulgation of calendar reform by Pope Gregory by 1582.
 Gregorian Calendar Day, February 24. On this day in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII established the Gregorian calendar.
The Gregorian calendar is a reformed version of the Julian calendar, and is the
calendar most
commonly used in the world today.
 Leap Year. Occurs every fourth year, except for century
years unless also divisible by 400.
Thus, 1996 is a leap year, 2000 is a leap year, but 2100 and 2200 are not.
In Britain it was once the custom that a woman was free to propose to a man during a
leap year, and if he declined, he would have to give her a silk dress.
In Scotland the woman was supposed to wear a scarlet flannel petticoat as a warning.
Leap Day, February 29. Also called
Bachelors' Day.
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