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Five widely used calendars highlight cultural, religious, and civil significance.
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Despite living in a globally connected world, not everyone keeps track of time in the same way. Various cultures and religions maintain their own calendar systems, each tailored to unique historical, astronomical, or spiritual foundations. While the Gregorian calendar has become universally accepted in global affairs, other calendars still play vital roles in religious observance, cultural identity, and traditional ceremonies. Let’s look at the five most widely used calendars in the world today.
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1. Gregorian Calendar
The Gregorian calendar is by far the most widely used calendar system in the world. Introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 as a reform of the Julian calendar, it was adopted to better align the calendar year with the solar year and partially compensate for the drift of Easter. Most countries use this calendar for civil, economic, and international purposes. With its 12 months and leap year system, it has become the global standard for daily life, business, and communication.
2. Islamic (Hijri) Calendar
Used predominantly by Muslims around the world, the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 months and about 354 days per year. Its origins date to the Hijra, the migration of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE. While most Muslim-majority countries use the Gregorian calendar for civil purposes, the Hijri calendar governs religious observances like Ramadan, Hajj, and Eid celebrations. Due to its lunar basis, Islamic months shift approximately 11 days earlier each Gregorian year.
3. Chinese Calendar
The Chinese calendar, a lunisolar system, combines both the moon’s phases and the solar year. It's most visible during celebrations like Chinese New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival, and other traditional holidays. The calendar has a 60-year cycle based on the combination of 10 heavenly stems and 12 earthly branches, which correspond to zodiac animals. While the Gregorian calendar is used for official purposes in China and Taiwan, the traditional calendar remains culturally significant.
A Chinese calendar indicates unlucky dates in red. (Credit: jmurawski, via Wikimedia Commons)
4. Indian National Calendar (Saka Calendar)
India officially recognizes two calendars: the Gregorian and the Saka calendar (Indian National Calendar). Introduced in 1957 by the Indian government to unify traditional calendars, the Saka calendar is primarily used alongside the Gregorian calendar for government communication, particularly in Hindu astrology and regional festivals. Additionally, many Indians follow traditional Hindu lunar calendars (like Vikram Samvat or Tamil calendars) for religious purposes, making calendar use in India richly diverse.
5. Hebrew Calendar
The Hebrew calendar, also lunisolar, is used primarily for Jewish religious observances. It dates back thousands of years and governs festivals such as Passover, Yom Kippur, and Hanukkah. Like the Chinese calendar, it adjusts for solar alignment through a leap month added seven times in a 19-year cycle. Though not used for civil life in modern Israel (which follows the Gregorian calendar), the Hebrew calendar plays a central role in synagogue life and Jewish identity globally.
While the Gregorian calendar dominates global systems, these other calendars remain vital to the cultural and religious fabric of billions of people. They serve not only as tools for marking time but also as living traditions connecting people to their heritage, values, and faith.
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Title Image: Hebrew calendar for the year 1840/41. Printed by I. Lehrberger u. Comp., Rödelheim. In the collection of the Jewish Museum of Switzerland. (Credit: Dieter Hofer, via Wikimedia Commons)
