Logo Sexagesimal Sexagesimal.org
Tuesday, Caduce 20, 12
de    en    es    fr    it    nl    pt

Introduction

Problematics

Method

Proposal

Standard year

Conclusion

FAQ

Conversion

Support

Contact

Proposal


Reading the date must be as easy as reading the time. Therefore, since the breakdown of hours uses multiples of 6 (12, 24, 60), the new calendar will use a similar base, the sexagesimal base (6, 60). These two numbers, 6 and 60, stand out because of their complementarity (60 = 10 x 6) and of their divisibility (6 is divisible by 2 and 3, 60 by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20 and 30).

The solar year will thus be divided into six periods of 60 days called sixths. 6 x 60 = 360. There remains 5. Now, between six objects there are five spaces. A day named adventitious day comes to be placed in each space or, what comes to the same thing, following each of the first five sixths. 360 + 5 = 365. That is the right number.

The better solution to facilitate the transition between the current calendar and the sexagesimal calendar would be that the latter would begin on the day of the winter solstice (in the northern hemisphere, summer solstice in the southern hemisphere) expressed in universal time.

From this date, the six sixths are respectively called Frigée, Éclose, Florée, Granée, Récole and Caduce. These French names, forged from Latin and inspired by observation of the vegetation cycle in the moderate climates, respectively evoke the cold, the buds' opening, the flowering, the fructification, the harvest and the leaves' fall.

Inside each sixth the days are numbered from 1 to 60. The year thus begins on Frigée 1st and ends on Caduce 60th. If the day after Caduce 60th does not coincide with the winter solstice (which will occur approximately once every four years), then a sixth adventitious day is placed at the end of the year, after Caduce. This sixth adventitious day gives its name to the 366-day year: sextile (year).

Every sixth is divided into ten sweeks (sweek is short for six-day-week). These days are called Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. It follows that all the sixths begin on Monday and finish on Saturday, and that every 2nd, 8th, 14th, 20th, 26th, 32nd, 38th, 44th, 50th, or 56th of each sixth will always be one Tuesday, whatever the sixth, whatever the year. Logically, there are sixty sweeks into a sexagesimal year. What relates to the sweek is called sweekly, what relates to the sixth, sixthly.

Then come the adventitious days. The etymology evokes external factors, excess things, extra parts. From their extra-ordinary character, these days will preferably be holidays, just as Frigée 1st (New Year's Day) and Thursday, Caduce 58th (Children's Day, date midway between Saint Nicholas and Christmas, opening the extra days of New Year's Eve). From various traditions these days are respectively called:
- Bacchanal (Day of Bacchus, lovers' day, last day of Carnival corresponding to current February 19th),
- Ceres (Day of Ceres whose name has the same root as growth and creation, day of the springtide, April 21st),
- Musica (music festival, June 21st),
- Liber (Day of the book, festival of written expression in all its forms, August 21st),
- Memento mori (Ancestors Day, October 21st),
- Sext (sixth adventitious day coming round every four years about December 21st).

The transcription of dates into figures is very easy too. Two figures are necessary for the day (01 to 60), one figure for the sixth (1 to 6) and three figures for the year, so as to avoid any confusion. The time being written according to a decreasing order (hours, minutes, seconds), the date will follow a similar order: year, sixth, day. Frigée 1st of the year 1 will therefore be noted: 001.1.01, Granée 24th, 147: 147.4.24. An adventitious day is numbered as the 61st day of the previous sixth. For example, the Bacchanal of the year 22, more usually Bacchanal 22, will be noted: 022.1.61.

The first year of the sexagesimal calendar is the year 1 (or 001). Frigée 1st, 001 is the day after December 20th, 2012 of the Gregorian calendar. This date coincides with the end of a 13 baktuns' cycle of the Mayan calendar (1 baktun = 144 000 days).

The previous dates will remain expressed according to the rules of their calendar of origin. The historical landmarks are thus preserved.


Next page: standard year >

If you want to support this design, please sign the petition in page support.
Translators who would like to voluntarily develop new versions of this site are welcome to use the contact page to make themself known.
Logo tête Edouard Vitrant
© 2003-2024, Edouard Vitrant