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6.2.2.1.3
Civil Dates Fixed |
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This section briefly examines some typical days of observance celebrated by the fixed-date rule in the Western calendar and not part of the ecclesiastical calendar. Each date is chosen to illustrate some important historical or procedural point. |
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The fixed date template function may be used for civil dates as well. |
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Fixed dates in the civil calendar typically fall into two distinct categories: |
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1.) The commemoration of specific events of importance, for which the original historical date is known, thought to be known, or widely accepted. |
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2.) The traditional residues of dates which had significance to early peoples. These dates are generally associated with the vernal and autumnal equinoces, the winter and summer solstices, harvest, and so on and were important to early agricultural societies all over the globe. In the Western calendar, these dates come through two general sources: |
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2.1.) Rome. Dates significant in the traditional Roman calendar are often based upon an earlier agricultural tradition in the Mediterranean basin. The Christian Church made a systematic effort to co-opt these dates for its purposes, whenever possible. |
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2.2.) The even earlier agricultural traditions of neolithic societies in northern Europe. These dates were celebrated by the Old Religion and kept alive through folk custom and agricultural tradition in the face of Church hostility. |
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6.2.2.1.3.2
Common Dates A List |
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1.) April Fool's Day. The date for April Fool's Day is celebrated on 1 April of the year. |
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The custom of tricking people on this day may have originated in 1752, when the English change to the Gregorian calendar moved New Year's from 25 March to 1 January. Those who forgot to accommodate the change were dubbed April fools. This story, appropriately enough, may be apocryphal. In Germany, the day is considered unlucky, with the ascription that Judas was born or died on that day or that Lucifer was cast out of heaven on that date. |
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The tradition of publishing canards at this time of year is an extension of this tradition in the publishing industry. The term canard itself (duck in French) stems from the phrase "to sell a duck by halves" and dates from the early nineteenth century. In Germany, for example, such stories are known as Zeitungsente (literally, newspaper ducks). |
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2.) May Day. The date for May Day is celebrated on 1 May of the year. |
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The date has a long and varied history. In Celtic Britain, 1 May was celebrated as Beltane, the time when the herds were turned out to graze for the summer. Bonfires were lit on hilltops, and the cattle were driven between the fires for protection. |
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