March 14, 2001

The Calendar Issue


The Calendar Issue

You will see references to the old calendar in many articles dealing with Russian history prior to February 14, 1918. For example, you might read that the Romanov family was captured in March {February on the old calendar} of 1917. The old calendar refers to the Julian Calendar. The, so called, new calendar is the Gregorian.

The Julian Calendar was introduced in 45 BC by Julius Cesar and was endorsed by Emperor Constantine and the First Ecumenical Council of the Church at Nicea. This calendar featured a seven day week, was slightly longer than the solar year and was modeled after the Christian sabbatical cycle. The Julian New Year is September 1st. August 31st is the feast of the Beheading of John the Baptist and marks the end of the church year. Under this system, the Nativity of Our Lord {Christmas} falls on January 7th. The Pascha {Easter Sunday} is a moveable feast. It must fall on a Sunday, but the date varies from year to year. It is determined as the Sunday after the first full moon, after the first vernal equinox, and reckoned, astrologically, at the Jerusalem meridian. This date and the following weeks until Pentecost will differ between the Julian and Gregorian calendars. (reckoning for Pascha on the Julian and Gregorian calendars)

The Gregorian calendar is the product of scientific and astrological research commissioned by Pope Paul III. He solicited various astronomers to figure out a way to correct the 'error' of the Julian calendar's reckoning. The main researcher was a Jesuit by the name of Christopher Clavius. Pope Paul III passed away before a calendar solution was formed. His successor, Pope Gregory XIII , was presented with several calendar reform options and chose the one created by Clavius. Clavius' reforms were officially adopted by the Catholic Church and most European Catholic nations on February 24, 1582, as the Inter Gravissimas or Gregorian Calendar Reform. England and her colonies did not accept the Gregorian calendar until 1752.

Until the end of the 15th century, the Russian calendar began with March 1st. The years were counted from the time of Creation or 5509 BC. Between the mid-1400's to 1700, Russian calendars placed the New Year on September 1st, in keeping with the Julian calendar. Peter the Great decided to implement the Gregorian calendar and adopt the Christian Era method of year counting. This caused quite a bit of opposition from the Russian Orthodox Church who refused to comply. As a result, Russia continued to use the old calendar but referred to the Gregorian when dealing in foreign affairs. We can only imagine how much confusion this caused for the Russian people!

Vladimir I. Lenin, leader of the Bolshevik Revolution, officially changed Russia's calendar to the Gregorian in 1918. He did this to keep in step with the rest of the world. To this day, the Eastern Orthodox Church still uses the old calendar. The first half of the Church year runs from September 1 - December 25 {Sept. 14 - Jan. 7 on the Julian calendar}. December 26 - August 31 marks the second half of the Orthodox or old calendar {Jan. 8 - Sept. 13 on the Julian}.

The old or Julian calendar was the way all the world once reckoned dates. Thanks to the Russian Orthodox Church, Russia maintained its use longer than any other country. If you have any Russian Orthodox friends and they don't open their Christmas presents until January 7th, now you know why!

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955