Sun 1 Jan, 2012 11:45 am
New Year? How About A New Calendar?
January 1, 2012
by NPR Staff
Another way to see 2012.
Four-hundred and thirty years ago, Pope Gregory XIII gave the West a calendar which divided 365 days into what was to be called a "year." With 12 months and 7 days bundled into so-called "weeks," the Gregorian calendar was hailed as a marvel of medieval accuracy. We use it today, despite its occasional messiness — drifting days, leap years and 28-day months.
But as Weekend Edition Sunday notes, some researchers at Johns Hopkins University have devised a different way to count our days — with a leap week every few years to keep the calendar on track. Hats off to USA Today for explaining it all in this nifty graphic.
And, Scientific American says, holidays like Christmas and New Year's Day would always fall on a Sunday. It seems neat and streamlined for our modern age — except maybe to those of us who work on Sundays.
How idiotic!!!
To have Christmas on a Sunday and in some countries also Monday the 26th certainly would not make it any better.
People are happy when Christmas happens to be a bit longer - they then can travel to see realtives. When not a lot of good time together will be lost.
People who need to get away over Christmas want a bit more than just one night or two.
Travelbusiness will lose a lot of money with this idea.
What about all the religous holidays during the year? It is not just we Christians, but the Muslims and Jews who celebrate and might like to keep there holidays the way they are.
Whoever came up with this idea certainly has no feeling for traditions or people´s feelings when it comes to religion.
I like the calender as it is. It's messy, just like life. So many things in our life is regimented, do we really need such precision? I don't think so...
@saab,
Totally agree with you, saab. The Soviet Union used to do something similar. There were a great number of holidays -- all dedicated to various workers and 'heroes.' But they were all scheduled to be celebrated on Sundays so that those 'hero workers' wouldn't get extra time off from work! Celebrating Christmas -- or any other holiday which has a specific date -- on Sunday is a terrible idea. In the US these days it is customary that if a holiday usually celebrated on a specific date happens to fall on a Sunday, the following Monday is given as time off to compensate for this fact. Now that, to me, is a
good idea.
@Lustig Andrei,
Quote: In the US these days it is customary that if a holiday usually celebrated on a specific date happens to fall on a Sunday, the following Monday is given as time off to compensate for this fact. Now that, to me, is a good idea.
Except for those who don't get paid at all for getting that Monday off.
For me? Two Mondays off without pay.
@tsarstepan,
Well, that sucks. You don't get get paid holidays at your job, tsar?
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