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The Roman conquest of Gaul (present-day France and Belgium) in the 1st century BC brought significant changes to timekeeping.
The Romans introduced the Julian calendar, a solar calendar with leap years developed by Julius Caesar. This system offered a more standardized and accurate method compared to earlier practices.^[1]
The Julian calendar became the foundation for future calendars in Belgium, even after the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century AD.^[2]

With the spread of Christianity from the 5th century onwards, religious holidays gained prominence in marking time. Christmas, Easter, and other Christian festivals became fixed points in the calendar year.
These religious holidays often coincided with existing pagan festivals celebrating seasonal changes, creating a blend of traditions.
While the Julian calendar remained the base system, religious holidays became a crucial reference point for people throughout Belgium.

The Middle Ages witnessed a period of increasing regional diversity in timekeeping practices. Alongside religious holidays, local customs and festivals emerged as important markers of time.^[3]
These local traditions might have been tied to:
- Patron saints of towns or villages.
- Important agricultural events like harvests or fairs.
- Guild celebrations specific to certain trades.
Towns and regions might have had their own variations in how they marked the days, weeks, or even months, leading to a patchwork system across Belgium.^[4]

The 16th century saw the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, a more accurate version of the Julian calendar, by Pope Gregory XIII.
While Belgium was under Spanish rule during this period (1516-1714), the exact date of adoption for the Gregorian calendar is uncertain. Historical estimates suggest it likely occurred sometime in the late 16th or early 17th century.
The switch to the Gregorian calendar aimed to address a slight inaccuracy in the Julian calendar's leap year system, which caused it to drift out of sync with the solar year over time.
This adoption of the Gregorian calendar marked a move towards a more standardized national system for timekeeping in Belgium.

↑ Debergh, Etienne. "The Low Countries." In A Companion to Roman Gaul, edited by Gareth Stedman and Christer Bruun, 257-273. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2008.
↑ Debergh, Etienne. "The Low Countries." In A Companion to Roman Gaul, edited by Gareth Stedman and Christer Bruun, 257-273. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2008.
↑ Prevenier, Walter. The Low Countries in Early Modern Times. Translated by Jane Potter. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1982.
↑ Prevenier, Walter. The Low Countries in Early Modern Times. Translated by Jane Potter. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1982.