The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-12
DIFFERENT NEW YEARS.
Curious Ways of Beginning the Year
The Calendars Of Various Peoples.

The Calendars of Various Peoples.
New York Evening Sun.
The first of January is here and we all
say that another year begins, but it is
why the year should not begin at any other
time than the first stroke of midnight be-
tween Dec. 81 and Jan. 1. OF course, the
years might begin with any other day than
Jan. 1 and still be just the same and just
as correct as they are now. Jan. l is no
more absolutely connected with the begin
ming of the year than Jan. q
1t is just IA years since English-speaking
people decided to begin the years on Jan.
l. Prior to 1852 they used to begin the year,
not with Jan. I. but with March 25: In that
year the English government ordered the
change and declared that March Is should
be called April g. Then what a howl went
up from the people, who actually thought
that they had been robbed of eleven daysl
Few people knew the reason for the change
in the calendar, and those who did not
understand why so many days should be
taken out OF their lives raised the cry at
the next election. Give US back our eleven
days!" Indeed, before they would vote for
a candidate they wanted him to pledge him
thousands and thousands of conserva-
tive Englishmen chung obstinately to the
old Style" as 1T was called, and refused
way Of beginning the new year with Jan.
was called the New Style Some per-
sons wanted to be impartial, and so they
used both the old and the new style. Thus,
other documents of the last century the
dates written In both styles, so that there
should be no mistake.
The calendar now In use among the West
ern nations is based on Caesars Roman
calendar, which was corrected by Pope
dar was in great disorder when julius Gaze
sar undertook to reform it, which he did
in the year 7OS of Rome. i. e., IS B. G. This
so as to make the civil year and the tropi-
cal year agree. and the year is known as
the year of confusion
The new year of the ancients was based
on their peculiar methods of measuring
the different times. They devised the lunar
solar year, the length of which is related
Thus the Greeks began their years with
the winter solstice, the day corresponding
to our Dec. Il. They first had two years
of twelve months, each consisting of thirty
days, and third year of thirteen months.
making an average of $40 days to the year.
Then their cycle of nineteen lunar years
with seven months intercalated in each
cycle gave them nineteen solar years. The
months were of twenty-nine and thirty
days. and the time was calculated by Olym-
piads of four years each. The Olympiads
went back to 776 b. c., when GORGEOUS won
the prize at the games.
The Jews. Egyptians and Persians began
their civil wars from the time when the sun
crosses the equator in September. The sa-
cred year of the Jews was SO regulated that
the Feast of the Passover was celebrated
the 14th day Of the first month when
the barley to be offered In sacrifice was ripe
at the full moon. This marked the first
month Of the year, called Nissan, and indi-
Gated the beginning Of the twelve months.
But If the barley did not ripen during the
fortnight following the end of the year,
another month was intercalated, and the
The Jews had years of twelve lunar months,
of twenty-nine or thirty days, to which
was added a thirteenth month when the
from the creation of the world, which was
fixed at Oct. z, 1851 B. c.
The Hnooo year began with the new
moon preceding the beginning Of the solar
within the same solar month, the first one
was intercalated. If no lunar month began
an ordinary month, but two intermediate
months were added. Each Hindoo month
had particular name, and the new moons
served to fix the beginnings OF the months
zero. the first year counting as o. the second
as l. and so on. These were arranged in
cycles of sixty years The Hindoos reck-
divided into periods. The first age. some
times called the age of gold and sometimes
the age of Innocence. was supposed to be
silver, 1,29600O years; the third age, So, eco
years. The present age is the Kali yuga,
or the age of iron; only 1885 years of it
have passed. but its total duration is sup
Some idea of the enormous length of the
Hindoo calendar can. be. gained from the
seventy-one maha yuagas, or 3O6.72 900
years to which is added a twilight period
OF 1.72S,00o years. making in all 2oS. eco
years. Fourteen Of these patriarchates,
augmented by a dawn of 1,72S.000 years.
gives 4,32O 600 years, which forms a Kali
pa, or the aeon of Hindoo chronology.
Now, a Kalpa is only day in the life
of Brahma.. whose nights are also of the
same duration. Brahma lives a hundred
years of $50 days. and 36o nights. Accord
ingly it is figured that the present epoch
is the Kali yuga of the twenty-seventh
grand age of the seventh Datriarchate OF
the first aeon of the second half of the life
of Brahma. who Is now in his los, 521 So, S4S-
9S5th spring. But We should remember that
the whole life of Brahma, IS only a little
longer than q single wink OF the great God
Silvas eye!
The Chinese calendar Is 50 elaborate ana
intricate that Its preparation Is confined to
an imperial mathematical body, which Is
continually at work trying to straighten
things out. The Chinese month begins with
the new moon: the first month when
the sun enters Pisces, the second when
IL enters Aries. and 50 on But IL
the sun does not enter new sign with the
new months an additional month Is intro
duced. The months are OF twenty-nine and
thirty days; the years are designated by
two numbers The first Is the official num-
Der, and indicates the number of the years
of the reign OF the Emperor. the second
appertains to q sycle OF sixty years.
The Mohammedan New Year II very un-
certain and changeable. They stiIl have =
calendar based on the !unar-soler year.