What is the old calendar style. Old and new style in historical dates

The question of the difference in calendars does not belong to the field of dogma. And therefore, the question is often asked about the advisability of preserving the old style by the majority of Orthodox Christians. Is it really so important what day to celebrate what? And the celebration of Christmas and other holidays on the same day by all Christians would resolve many issues related to both the celebration of the New Year and interfaith relations. Why is it still old style?

First, a little history:

Julian calendar (old style).

In 46 BC. Roman statesman and the commander Julius Caesar reformed the Roman calendar, which by that time was very chaotic and complex. We are talking, naturally, about the solar calendar, i.e. about the distribution of the solar year according to calendar days and months. Since the solar year is not divided into an even number of days, the leap year system was adopted, which “catch up” with the length of the solar year.

The Julian year is 365 days and 6 hours long. But this value is greater than the solar (tropical year) by 11 minutes and 14 seconds. Therefore, for every 128 years, a whole day was accumulated. Thus, the Julian calendar was not distinguished by great astronomical accuracy, but on the other hand, and this was the advantage of this calendar, it was distinguished by the simplicity and harmony of the system.

Gregorian calendar (new style).

So, in the “old” calendar, “extra” days accumulated every 128 years. Consequently, astronomical dates (for example, the days of the equinoxes) shifted. At the First Ecumenical Council, which took place in 325, it was decided that all Local Churches should celebrate the day of Easter, the Resurrection of Christ, on the same day. Vernal Equinox (which plays important role when calculating the day of Easter celebration) then fell on March 21. But since every 128 years an error of one day accumulated, the real equinox began to occur earlier. In the 5th century, the moment of the equinox occurred on March 20, then on the 19th, 18th, etc.

By the second half of the 16th century, the error was already ten days: according to the Julian calendar, the moment of the equinox should occur on March 21, but in reality it already occurred on March 11. That is why Pope Gregory XIII undertook a calendar reform in 1582. According to his instructions, the day after Thursday, October 4, was prescribed to be counted not as October 5, but as October 15. Thus, the day of the vernal equinox returned to March 21, where it was during the First Ecumenical (Nicene) Council.

But the Gregorian calendar could not be absolutely accurate, since in principle it is impossible to accurately divide the solar year into the number of days. Additional measures were needed to prevent calendar days from moving forward and the moment of the vernal equinox, accordingly, moving backward. For this purpose, not only leap years were introduced, but also, a kind of non-leap centuries. It was decided that those centuries that are not divisible by 4 without a remainder will be simple, and not leap years, as is the case in the Julian calendar. Those. centuries 1700, 1800, 1900, 2100 and so on are simple, that is, no insertion occurs in these years extra day in February. And therefore, in these centuries, the Julian calendar goes one more day ahead. It so happened that by our time a difference of 13 days has accumulated between the two calendars, which will increase by another day in 2100.

Why does the Russian Orthodox Church live according to the “old style”?

Many chronographers, mathematicians and theologians (Prof. V.V. Bolotov, Prof. Glubokovsky, A.N. Zelinsky) did not approve of the introduction of a new calendar - “a true torment for chronographs.”

The transition to the Gregorian calendar will lead to the fact that in some years the Fast of Peter the Great will disappear from the calendar completely. The new style is significantly inferior Julian calendar and in liturgical accuracy: after all, it is the Julian calendar that is consistent with the Alexandrian Paschal. That is why in some local churches the services of the Easter circle (Easter and moving holidays) are performed according to the old style, and fixed holidays - according to the new one. This is the so-called Greek style.

The calendar issue is primarily related to the celebration of Easter. “Easter is calculated simultaneously according to two cycles: solar and lunar. All calendars (Julian, New Julian, Gregorian) tell us only about the solar cycle. But Easter Day is a holiday dating back to the Old Testament. And the calendar Old Testament- lunar. Thus, the church Easter is not just a calendar, whatever it may be, but calculations a certain day according to rules that depend on both the solar and lunar cycles.”

At the Moscow Conference in 1948, an official resolution was made regarding the calendar problem, according to which it is obligatory for the entire Orthodox world to celebrate the holiday of Holy Easter only in the old (Julian) style, according to the Alexandrian Paschal, and for fixed holidays, each autocephalous Church can use the existing one in this Church calendar, and finally, clergy and laity must follow the calendar or style of that local Church within which they live.

Speaking about dates, we often come across a common misconception related to the conversion of dates from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar (from the “old style” to the “new”). Substantial part people believe that this difference is always 13 days. In fact, everything is much more complicated and the difference between calendars changes from century to century.

First of all, it is necessary to explain why the appearance of different calendars is connected. The fact is that the Earth makes a full revolution around the Sun not in 365 or 366 days, but in 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes 45.19 seconds (information for the 2000s).

In the Julian calendar, introduced in 45 AD. and spread throughout Europe, incl. (via Byzantium) - and in Rus', the length of the year is 365 days and 6 hours. The “extra” 6 hours make up 1 day – February 29, which is added once every 4 years.

Thus, the Julian calendar is inaccurate, and over time this inaccuracy became obvious when calculating Christian holidays, especially Easter, which should be celebrated on the first Sunday after the vernal equinox.

This problem was brought to my attention Catholic Church, and from 1582 the Gregorian calendar was introduced. Pope Gregory XIII issued a bull on October 5, 1582, ordering October 5 to be counted as 15. Thus, the difference between the calendars in the 16th century was 10 days.

The Gregorian calendar is based on the following principles:

1. Just like in the Julian calendar, every fourth year is a leap year.
2. Years divisible by 400 (for example, 1600 and 2000) are also leap years.
3. The exception is for years that are divisible by 100 and not divisible by 400 (for example, 1700, 1800 and 1900): they are not leap years.

Thus, the discrepancy between the Julian and Gregorian calendars is as follows:

XVI century	10
XVII century	10
XVIII century	11
XIX century	12
XX century	13
XXI century	13
XXII century	14
XXIII century	15
XXIV century	16
XXV century	16
XXVI century	17

In Russia, the Gregorian calendar was introduced by decree of the Council of People's Commissars on January 24, 1918. After January 31, 1918, February 14 came.

Thus, most time by which a genealogy can be compiled (XVII - early XX centuries), the Julian calendar was in effect in Russia, and all dates require recalculation in accordance with the table given above. For example, the 150th anniversary of the abolition of serfdom (manifesto of February 19, 1861) - March 3, 2011.

Currently, the Julian calendar continues to be used by some local Orthodox churches, including the Russian Orthodox Church. A significant part of the Orthodox churches (for example, the Greek) adopted the New Julian calendar, which calculates leap years using a different, slightly more complex model. However, until the 29th century there will be no differences between the Gregorian and New Julian calendars.

How to recalculate the dates of Russian and Western European history if Russia lived according to 1918? We asked these and other questions to the candidate historical sciences, specialist in medieval chronology Pavel Kuzenkov.

As you know, until February 1918, Russia, like most Orthodox countries, lived according to. Meanwhile, in Europe, starting in 1582, it gradually spread, introduced by order of Pope Gregory XIII. In the year the new calendar was introduced, 10 days were missed (instead of October 5, October 15 was counted). Subsequently, the Gregorian calendar skipped leap years in years ending in "00" unless the first two digits of that year formed a multiple of "4." That is why the years 1600 and 2000 did not cause any “progress” in normal system translation from the “old style” to the “new”. However, in 1700, 1800 and 1900, leap seasons were skipped and the difference between styles increased to 11, 12 and 13 days respectively. In 2100 the difference will increase to 14 days.

In general, the table of relationships between Julian and Gregorian dates looks like this:

Julian date	Gregorian date
from 1582, 5.X to 1700, 18.II	1582, 15.X - 1700, 28.II	10 days
from 1700, 19.II to 1800, 18.II	1700, 1.III - 1800, 28.II	11 days
from 1800, 19.II to 1900, 18.II	1800, 1.III - 1900, 28.II	12 days
from 1900, 19.II to 2100, 18.II	1900, 1.III - 2100, 28.II	13 days

In Soviet Russia, the “European” calendar was introduced by Lenin’s government on February 1, 1918, which began to be considered February 14 “according to the new style.” However, no changes have occurred in church life: the Russian Orthodox Church continues to live according to the same Julian calendar according to which the apostles and holy fathers lived.

The question arises: how to correctly translate historical dates from the old style to the new?

It would seem that everything is simple: you need to use the rule that was in force in a given era. For example, if an event occurred in the 16th-17th centuries, add 10 days, if in the 18th century - 11, in the 19th century - 12, finally in the 20th and XXI centuries- 13 days.

This is usually done in Western literature, and this is quite true in relation to dates from the history of Western Europe. It should be remembered that the transition to the Gregorian calendar took place in different countries ah in different time: If Catholic countries almost immediately introduced the “papal” calendar, Great Britain adopted it only in 1752, Sweden in 1753.

However, the situation changes when it comes to events in Russian history. It should be taken into account that in Orthodox countries, when dating a particular event, attention was paid not only to the actual number of the month, but also to the designation of this day in the church calendar (holiday, memory of a saint). Meanwhile church calendar has not undergone any changes, and Christmas, for example, as it was celebrated on December 25 300 or 200 years ago, is celebrated on the same day now. Another thing is that in the civil “new style” this day is designated as “January 7”.

Please note that when converting the dates of holidays and memorable days to a new style The Church follows the current recount rule (+13). For example: the transfer of the relics of St. Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow, is celebrated on July 3, Art. Art. - or July 16 AD Art. - although in 1652, when this event occurred, in theory Julian July 3 corresponded to Gregorian July 13. But just theoretically: at that time this difference could have been noticed and recorded only by ambassadors foreign countries, who have already switched to the “papal” calendar. Later, ties with Europe became closer, and in the 19th - early 20th centuries, a double date was given in calendars and periodicals: according to the old and new styles. But even here, in historical dating, priority should be given to the Julian date, since it was precisely this that contemporaries were guided by. And since the Julian calendar was and remains the calendar of the Russian Church, there is no reason to translate dates differently than is customary in modern church publications - that is, with a difference of 13 days, regardless of the date of a particular event.

Examples

The Russian naval commander died on October 2, 1817. In Europe this day was designated as (2+12=) October 14. However, the Russian Church celebrates the memory of the righteous warrior Theodore on October 2, which in the modern civil calendar corresponds to (2+13=) October 15.

The Battle of Borodino took place on August 26, 1812. On this day the Church celebrates in memory of the miraculous deliverance from the hordes of Tamerlane. Therefore, although in the 19th century the 12th Julian August corresponded September 7(and it was this day that was fixed in the Soviet tradition as the date of the Battle of Borodino), for Orthodox people the glorious feat of the Russian army was accomplished on the day of Presentation - that is, 8 September according to Art.

It is hardly possible to overcome the tendency that has become generally accepted in secular publications - namely, to transmit dates in the old style according to the norms adopted for the Gregorian calendar in the era corresponding to the event. However, in church publications one should rely on the living calendar tradition of the Orthodox Church and, taking the dates of the Julian calendar as a basis, recalculate them to the civil style according to the current rule. Strictly speaking, the “new style” did not exist until February 1918 (it’s just that different countries had different calendars). Therefore, we can only talk about dates “according to the new style” in relation to modern practice, when it is necessary to convert the Julian date to the civil calendar.

Thus, the dates of events in Russian history before 1918 should be given according to the Julian calendar, indicating in brackets the corresponding date of the modern civil calendar - as is done for all church holidays. For example: December 25, 1XXX (January 7 N.S.).

If we are talking about the date of an international event that was already dated by contemporaries using a double date, such a date can be indicated through a slash. For example: August 26 / September 7, 1812 (September 8 N.S.).

Since 46 BC, most countries in the world have used the Julian calendar. However, in 1582, by the decision of Pope Gregory XIII, it was replaced by Gregorian. That year, the next day after the fourth of October was not the fifth, but the fifteenth of October. Now the Gregorian calendar is officially adopted in all countries except Thailand and Ethiopia.

Reasons for adopting the Gregorian calendar

The main reason for introducing new system chronology began to move the day of the vernal equinox, depending on which the date of the celebration of Christian Easter was determined. Due to discrepancies between the Julian and tropical calendars (the tropical year is the period of time during which the sun completes one cycle of changing seasons), the day of the vernal equinox gradually shifted to earlier dates. At the time of the introduction of the Julian calendar, it fell on March 21, both according to the accepted calendar system and in fact. But to XVI century, the difference between the tropical and Julian calendars was already about ten days. As a result, the vernal equinox no longer fell on March 21, but on March 11.

Scientists paid attention to the above problem long before the adoption of the Gregorian chronology system. Back in the 14th century, Nikephoros Grigora, a scientist from Byzantium, reported this to Emperor Andronicus II. According to Grigora, it was necessary to revise the calendar system that existed at that time, since otherwise the date of Easter would continue to shift further and further. late time. However, the emperor did not take any action to eliminate this problem, fearing protest from the church.

Subsequently, other scientists from Byzantium also spoke about the need to switch to a new calendar system. But the calendar continued to remain unchanged. And not only because of the rulers’ fear of causing indignation among the clergy, but also because the further the Christian Easter moved away, the less chance it had of coinciding with the Jewish Passover. This was unacceptable according to church canons.

By the 16th century, the problem had become so urgent that the need to solve it was no longer in doubt. As a result, Pope Gregory XIII assembled a commission tasked with carrying out all necessary research and create a new calendar system. The results obtained were displayed in the bullet “Among the most important”. It was she who became the document with which the adoption of the new calendar system began.

The main disadvantage of the Julian calendar is its lack of accuracy in relation to the tropical calendar. In the Julian calendar, all years that are divisible by 100 without a remainder are considered leap years. As a result, the difference with the tropical calendar increases every year. Approximately every century and a half it increases by 1 day.

The Gregorian calendar is much more accurate. It has fewer leap years. In this chronology system, leap years are considered to be years that:

1. divisible by 400 without remainder;
2. divisible by 4 without a remainder, but not divisible by 100 without a remainder.

Thus, 1100 or 1700 years in the Julian calendar are considered leap years, since they are divisible by 4 without a remainder. In the Gregorian calendar, from those that have already passed since its adoption, 1600 and 2000 are considered leap years.

Immediately after the introduction of the new system, it was possible to eliminate the difference between the tropical and calendar years, which at that time was already 10 days. Otherwise, due to errors in calculations, an extra year would accumulate every 128 years. In the Gregorian calendar, an extra day occurs only every 10,000 years.

Not at all modern states the new chronology system was adopted immediately. The Catholic states were the first to switch to it. In these countries, the Gregorian calendar was officially adopted either in 1582 or shortly after the decree of Pope Gregory XIII.

In a number of states, the transition to a new calendar system was associated with popular unrest. The most serious of them took place in Riga. They lasted for five whole years - from 1584 to 1589.

There were also some funny situations. So, for example, in Holland and Belgium, due to the official adoption of the new calendar, after December 21, 1582, January 1, 1583 came. As a result, the inhabitants of these countries were left without Christmas in 1582.

Russia was one of the last to adopt the Gregorian calendar. The new system was officially introduced on the territory of the RSFSR on January 26, 1918 by decree of the Council of People's Commissars. In accordance with this document, immediately after January 31 of that year, February 14 came on the territory of the state.

Later than in Russia, the Gregorian calendar was introduced only in a few countries, including Greece, Turkey and China.

After the official adoption of the new chronology system, Pope Gregory XIII sent a proposal to Constantinople to switch to new calendar. However, she was met with refusal. Its main reason was the inconsistency of the calendar with the canons of celebrating Easter. However, later most Orthodox churches switched to the Gregorian calendar.

Today there are only four orthodox churches use the Julian calendar: Russian, Serbian, Georgian and Jerusalem.

Rules for specifying dates

In accordance with the generally accepted rule, dates falling between 1582 and the moment the Gregorian calendar was adopted in the country are indicated in both the old and new styles. In this case, the new style is indicated in quotation marks. Earlier dates are indicated according to the proleptic calendar (i.e., a calendar used to indicate dates earlier than the date the calendar appeared). In countries where the Julian calendar was adopted, dates before 46 BC. e. are indicated according to the proleptic Julian calendar, and where there was none - according to the proleptic Gregorian calendar.

Today, many citizens of our country have different attitudes towards the events of the coup. 1917 years. Some consider this a positive experience for the state, others negative. One thing they always agree on is that during that coup, a lot changed, changed forever.
One such change was introduced on January 24, 1918 by the Council People's Commissars, which at that time was the revolutionary government of Russia. A decree was issued on the introduction of the Western calendar in Russia.

This decree, in their opinion, should have contributed to the establishment of closer ties with Western Europe. In the distant past 1582 year, throughout civilized Europe, the Julian calendar was replaced by the Gregorian calendar, and this was condoned by famous astronomers of that time.
Since then, the Russian calendar has had slight differences from the Western one 13 days.

This initiative came from the Pope himself. However, the Russian Orthodox hierarchs were very cool towards their Catholic partners, so for Russia everything remained the same.
This is how citizens of different countries with different calendars lived for almost three hundred years.
For example, when in Western Europe celebrate the New Year, then in Russia it’s only 19 December.
Live and count the days in a new way Soviet Russia started with 1 February 1918 of the year.

By decree of the SNK (abbreviation of the Council of People's Commissars), which was issued 24 January 1918 year, the day was prescribed 1 February 1918 count years as 14 February.

It should be noted that the arrival of spring in the central part of Russia became completely unnoticeable. Still, it is worth recognizing that it was not for nothing that our ancestors did not want to change their calendar. After all, 1 March, more reminiscent of mid-February. Surely many have noticed that it really starts to smell like spring only from mid-March or the first days of March according to the old style.

Needless to say, not everyone liked the new style.

If you think that it was in Russia that they were so wild that they did not want to accept the civilized calendar, then you are very mistaken. Many countries did not want to accept the Catholic calendar.
For example, in Greece they began to count according to the new calendar in 1924 year, in Turkey 1926 , and in Egypt 1928 year.
A funny detail should be noted, despite the fact that the Egyptians, Greeks and Turks adopted the Gregorian calendar much later than the Russians, no one noticed that they were celebrating the Old and New Years.

Even in the bastion of Western democracy - England, even with great prejudices, they adopted the new calendar in 1752, Sweden followed this example a year later

What is the Julian calendar?

It is named after its creator Julius Caesar. In the Roman Empire, they switched to a new chronology 46 year BC. The year had 365 days and began exactly on January 1. The year that was divisible by 4 was called a leap year.
IN leap year one more day added 29 February.

How is the Gregorian calendar different from the Julian calendar?

The only difference between these calendars is that in the calendar of Julius Caesar, each 4th without exception, a year is a leap year, and Pope Gregory’s calendar only has those that can be divisible by 4, but not multiples of one hundred.
Although the difference is almost imperceptible, in a hundred years Orthodox Christmas will no longer be celebrated. 7 January, as usual, and 8th.