Skip to Content

Articles Tagged Gregorian Calendar

Jumpin’ Jiminy: It’s Leap Year

You may not have noticed, but we have an extra day this month. Leap Day, February 29, is this Saturday. For most of us, it’s just another day, but it’s existence is what keeps our solar calendar in sync with the earth’s orbit around the sun. So let’s do some calendrical history. The Ancient Romans

CALENDRICAL TRIVIA

Oh, the joys of winter, especially if the lake freezes. In the 1820s, Jane Austin’s contemporaries frolicked in snow and ice. Clearly these young men are showing off, while the boys in the background focus on their own games. January is the month of Janus, the Roman god who looks both forward and back, supervising

GUNG HEI FAT CHOY – HAPPY LUNAR (CHINESE) NEW YEAR

“Okay, I’ll bite.  Why are you wishing me a Happy New Year when we already celebrated the New Year on January 1?” Excellent Question, Grasshopper.  (Historian settles in for a lengthy chat.)  The January 1 date is completely arbitrary, a result of the introduction of the Julian calendar in 45 BCE. “Could you answer my