A Tale of Two Calendars

The Julian calendar:

Caesar! What are you making?

A calendar. It has 12 months.

Cool. How many days in the months?

Thirty. Or 31. Oh, and February has 28.

That all adds up to . . .

Three hundred and sixty-five!

Where did you get this idea?

From the star-studier Sosigenes. He says the year is 365 and one-quarter days long!

1,500 Years Later . . .

The Gregorian calendar:

Hey, Pope Greg! What are you making?

A calendar.

I thought Julius Caesar already made one . . . ?

He did. But he was wrong. At least, his buddy Sosigenes was wrong. The Earth’s year is 11 minutes and 14 seconds shorter than he thought.

How will you fix his mistake?

I’ll push everything forward 10 days!

Which calendar for Ukraine—Julian or Gregorian?

The Russian Orthodox Church uses the ancient Julian calendar. On that calendar, Christmas falls 13 days later than December 25.

The Catholic Church first used the Gregorian calendar in the 16th century. Many churches now use the Gregorian calendar to choose when to celebrate Christmas and Easter. Now the Orthodox Church of Ukraine is sticking with Pope Gregory’s chosen date too.

What Are You Waiting for—Christmas?

No matter which calendar you use, Christmas is all about Jesus. Christians around the world also observe Advent. During Advent, you wait. People in the Old Testament waited for the Messiah’s birth. We wait for Jesus to come back to Earth and make everything right and new.

Does your family have advent traditions? Show us! Send a photo and description to worldkidseditor@gwnews.com. We may include it on our website.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. — Isaiah 9:6