Q. "I'm not very good with diagrams or charts; can you explain this crazy thing?"
A. The Primavera Calendar divides the year into 12 months of 30 days each, never more nor less. The months are divided into 5 weeks, each with only 6 days, so that a particular date will always fall on the same day of the week. This accounts for 360 days (30 x 12). Since there are 365 days in a standard year, and 366 every "Leap" year, I have added one additional day ("New Year's Day") at the beginning of each year, not belonging to the first month nor being considered any day of the week, effectively making an extra long weekend at the turn of the year. In Leap Years, another such day ("Olympiad") occurs at the beginning of the seventh month. I have also added such "Ætherdays" at the end of every third month, giving 4 long weekends per year without disrupting any weekly schedules. Each of these holidays falls on or near the solar Equinox or Solstice days, so the Months correspond closely to the signs of the Zodiac. As a result, the turn of the year occurs ten days sooner than under the Gregorian Calendar currently in widespread use. Some mid-year dates are ahead by only 9 days because of the Ætherdays, and since the Primavera Leap Year Day does not correspond to the Gregorian "February 29th". If your web-browser is version 4.0 or higher, you should be able to use the conversion calculator to determine the date of any day under the Primavera Calendar system.
Q. "Why are the days of the week named as they are?"
A. This is an astronomical Calendar, and I wanted to retain the customary days named for the Sun and the Moon; it seemed appropriate to name a day for the Earth as well, and to place it on the weekend. I wanted to universalize the days currently named (in English) after Norse or Roman gods; so I chose to use the 4 classical Elements (one of which is "Earth"), in order to retain some link to past traditions. This left me no choice but to assign the category "Æther" to the "floating" days! Perhaps showing a little cultural bias, I placed Fireday at the end of the work week just to preserve the American expression "TGIF" (the superstitious will notice there are NO "Firedays the 13th "! ) I've named the Equinox and Solstice holidays after the four points of the compass to avoid Hemispheric seasonal conflicts.
Q. "OK ... so, like, is this a Pagan thing, or what?"
A. "What." The calendar's inspiration is astronomical rather than astrological, although the Zodiacal months and Solar holidays obviously would have some appeal to both Astrologists and Neo-Pagans. But the current calendar with its days named after Woden, Thor, Frigg (Frigg? ) , etc. seems more "Pagan" to me!
Q. "So then what the hell have you done with the Sabbath?"
A. Most Western Monotheists or others who worship weekly would have 8 more opportunities per year to do so under the Primavera Calendar. Christians will note that the first day of the week is still called "Sunday"; Jews and Adventists may choose to adopt Earthday, at the beginning of the weekend, and Moslems might worship on Fireday. I do realistically admit though, since many believe that the 7-day week is Divinely ordained, the Primavera Calendar is rather unlikely to be adopted for common use worldwide.
Q. "Well, just in case it is, how would this Calendar affect my work schedule?"
A. That would of course depend on customary local holidays, Union contracts, etc. Doing the math: there are 20 fewer "weekdays" per year compared to the Gregorian Calendar. Ignoring for the moment all holidays, if each weekday were still an 8-hour workday, there would be 160 fewer hours of work done per year, while if each were worked 10 hours (for a 40-hour workweek), there would be 320 more. To compromise, I would recommend a 9-hour day (10 hours scheduled, with an unpaid 1-hour lunch break and other paid breaks), which would give 80 more work hours per year, which comes to an average of just 1 hour 20 minutes more per week (although given the Primavera Calendar's 6-day week there would be only 36 hours actually worked between each weekend). There are also already 20 more weekend days and non-week holidays per year built into the Calendar, plus there are likely to be some other weekday holidays observed due to local custom. This should appeal to workers even if there were to be a slight net increase in hours worked per year; but even if enough additional holidays and vacation time were allotted to eliminate any extra work time, the increase in productivity and morale due to the 9-hour days with so many more days off should please Management as well.
Q. "How can a day not be part of a week or even a month?"
A. Why not?
Q. "But I like that old nursery rhyme, 'Thirty days hath September ...' "
A. Try this:
"Now ev'ry Month hath thirty days,
No more's the year a twisted maze.
When Jack's 4 days of work are done
He has two more to have some fun !
And here's a treat, sure to amaze,
On Ætherdays he plays and plays!"
( ... works for Jill, too! )
Q. "Where do you get off naming a Calendar after yourself?
Who do you think you are anyway: Empress ... or Pope?"
A. What do you mean? I named it after the Vernal Equinox and Springtime, silly! Seriously though, "
Earth Calendar" (my original choice) and "
World Calendar" are both trademarks of existing alternative calendars. If ever the Primavera Calendar
were to be adopted for worldwide common use, however, I'd be pleased to see it re-named after the current Pope, U.N. Secretary General or Galactic Emperor (whichever might exist at the time). Got any better suggestions?
Q. "When would it be Christmas?"
A. Ask the Pope. Who do you think I am, anyway?
Q. "When does the new Millennium begin?"
A. Ten days sooner than under the Gregorian System!!! ... whether you acknowledge it as 2000 or 2001. Party on, dude.
Q. "Any relation to Captain Horatio?"
A. What makes you think I'm related to a fictional character?
Q. "What does the 'D.' stand for?"
A. "Dawn", thanks for asking!
