Calender

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Calender process
INTERIEUR, KALANDER - Renkum - 20265137 - RCE
Calender
Holyoke, Massachusetts - Paper. American Writing Paper Co. Super-calender - putting on roll, starting operation. - NARA - 518330
Calander - Pressing Machine

Calendar is a system of organizing days for social, religious, commercial, or administrative purposes. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months, and years. A date is the designation of a single, specific day within such a system. A calendar is also a physical record (often paper) of such a system. A calendar can also mean a list of planned events, such as a court calendar or a partly or fully chronological list of documents, such as a calendar of wills.

Types of Calendars[edit | edit source]

Calendars fall into several types, mainly based on their use and the nature of the system they use to divide and name periods of time.

Lunar Calendars[edit | edit source]

A lunar calendar is based on the moon's lunar phases. It is used in many cultures to determine important dates such as festivals and holidays. Examples include the Islamic calendar and the Hebrew calendar.

Solar Calendars[edit | edit source]

A solar calendar is based on the position of the Earth in its orbit around the Sun. This affects the apparent position of the Sun in the sky in a cycle that repeats every year. The Gregorian calendar, currently used by most of the world, is a solar calendar.

Lunisolar Calendars[edit | edit source]

Lunisolar calendars are a combination of lunar and solar systems. They use months based on lunar phases but add an extra month occasionally to synchronize with the solar year. The Chinese calendar and the Hindu calendar are examples of lunisolar calendars.

History[edit | edit source]

The history of calendars is a complex and varied subject. Different cultures have developed their own systems and methods for keeping time over the millennia. The Roman calendar, which evolved into the Julian calendar and subsequently the Gregorian calendar, is just one example of this evolution.

Gregorian Calendar[edit | edit source]

The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used by most of the world today. It was first introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582, as a modification of the Julian calendar. The main purpose of the Gregorian calendar reform was to change the date of Easter. In the Julian calendar, the date of Easter moved away from the spring equinox because of the inaccuracy in the Julian system of leap years.

Calendar Systems[edit | edit source]

Different cultures and societies have developed their own systems for organizing days. These systems often begin with the founding of a culture or other significant events. For example, the Islamic calendar counts years from the Hijra, the migration of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina.

Cultural and Religious Calendars[edit | edit source]

Many cultures and religions have their own calendars, which are used to mark significant dates and events. The Jewish calendar, for example, is used to determine the dates of religious holidays such as Passover and Yom Kippur. The Islamic calendar is used to determine the proper days of Islamic holidays and rituals, such as the annual period of fasting called Ramadan.

Conclusion[edit | edit source]

Calendars are an integral part of human society, providing a structured framework for the passage of time. They allow us to plan for the future, remember the past, and celebrate the present. Despite the wide variety of calendars that have been used throughout history, their core purpose remains the same: to organize time in a way that is meaningful and useful for the society that uses them.

Calender Resources
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Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD