By Emmanuel Gandu
The celebration, fanfare, ecstasy, fireworks, and religious attachment to the dawn of the first day of a new year is such a frenzy across religious, national, international, and cultural borders that the entire world is a beautiful global village.
Calendars make it convenient for years, months, weeks, and days to be observed to do every kind of activity or business with ease.
Among the major calendars in the world are the following:
1. Julian calendar
2. Gregorian calendar
3. Islamic calendar
4. Buddhist calendar
5. Chinese calendar
6. Ethiopian calendar
7. Hebrew calendar
8. Hindu calendar
9. Igbo calendar
This presentation is an attempt to focus on the principles, objectives, and functions of calendars in our world, using the Gregorian, Islamic, and Igbo calendars as references to a phenomenon that brings humanity together.
Gregorian Calendar
In the year 46 BC (Before Christ), the Julian calendar was proposed by Julius Caesar of the Roman Empire as a reform of the earlier Roman calendar.
This newly reformed Julian calendar was effective in 45 BC, becoming the prominent calendar in the Roman Empire and the Western World for more than 1,600 years.
The Julian calendar is still in use in parts of the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental churches as well as by the Berbers.
It was not until 1582 when Pope Gregory XIII promulgated some changes in the Julian calendar which eventually became known as the Gregorian Calendar.
The Gregorian calendar is named after Pope Gregory XIII who introduced it in October 1582.
It is made of 12 months (January to December) of 28 – 31 days in a month, with one day added to February after every 4 years thereby making that year a leap year.
A calendar date is specified by the year, then numbered according to the era, ie either BC = Before Christ, or AD = Anno Domini (Latin).
The Gregorian calendar was initially adopted by the Catholic countries of Europe in 1582, followed by the Protestants and Eastern Orthodox Church/countries over the next 3 centuries.
The Gregorian calendar is the main official calendar widely used by the majority of countries in the world.
Egypt adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1875, China in 1912, Russia in 1918, Greece in 1923, and Turkey adopted in 1926.
The current date of the Gregorian calendar is 2023 AD – 1st January 2023.
This day is marked and celebrated as New Year’s Day.
Islamic Calendar
The Islamic calendar also called the Muslim or Hijri calendar is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 months in a year of 354 or 355 days.
The beginning of each month is contingent on the visibility of the moon at the end of the previous month. Once the moon is sighted, the new month commences. Each month starts with a new lunar cycle. Hence the Muslim calendar gives only a tentative date as the start of each month is subject to the sighting of the moon.
The Islamic calendar is used in Muslim countries, and by Muslims to determine the proper days of Islamic functions, holidays, observance of prayer, period of fasting, rituals, rites, tenets, and the proper time for the pilgrimage to Mecca.
The Islamic calendar employs the Hijri era where the Prophet Muhammed and his followers migrated from Mecca to Medina and established the first Muslim community.
The Islamic calendar denotes the date followed by AH = in the year of the Hijri, or BH = Before the Hijri.
The Islamic New Year starts with the month of Muharram, followed by Safar, up to Shaban the 8th month, Ramadan the 9th month, Shawwal the 10th month, and up to Hijjah the 12th month.
(1). 31 December 2022 of the Gregorian calendar is equivalent to 7 Jumada Al-Akhirah, 1444 of the Islamic calendar.
(2) 1st January 2023 of the Gregorian calendar is equivalent to 8 Jumada Al-Akhirah 1444 in the Islamic calendar.
(3) The New Year for the Islamic calendar in 2023, ie 1st Muharram 2023 is expected to be on the 29th or 30th of July 2023 in the equivalent of the Gregorian calendar.
Igbo Calendar
The Igbo calendar otherwise called “Oguafo Igbo” is the only known functional and Organized tribal calendar in Nigeria.
This calendar has 13 months in a year, 7 weeks in a month, 28 days in a month.
The Igbo calendar has 4 market days (Afor, Nkwo, Eke, and Orie) in a week (Izu), plus an extra day at the end of the year in the last month.
In various parts of Igbo land, each community has a market named after each of the aforementioned four market days.
