Switzerland Dates and Calendars

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Dates and Calendars

Online Resources

• Genealogical Feast Day Calendars

Background

Roman Influence and the Julian Calendar (1st Century BC - 5th Century AD)

• With Roman conquest, the Julian calendar (based on the solar year and incorporating leap years) was introduced in the 1st century BC.
• This calendar system provided a more standardized method compared to earlier practices.

Christianization and Religious Holidays (5th-16th Centuries)

• The spread of Christianity from the 5th century onwards brought an emphasis on religious holidays like Christmas and Easter.
• These holidays became important markers of time alongside traditional seasonal celebrations.

The Great Calendar Debate (16th-19th Centuries)

• The Reformation in the 16th century created a unique twist in Swiss timekeeping. Catholic cantons adopted the Gregorian calendar, a more accurate version of the Julian calendar, introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582.
• However, Protestant cantons resisted the switch, viewing it as a papal imposition. This resulted in a period of confusion where different parts of Switzerland used different calendars.
• The situation wasn't fully resolved until 1812 when the last holdout canton (specifically the communes of Schiers and Grüsch) finally adopted the Gregorian calendar, unifying the Swiss system.