# A new proposal for how to make days of the week correspond consistently with dates **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 14, 2023, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-proposal-for-how-to-make-days-of-the-week-correspond-consistently-with-dates/990127 "2023-09-14T22:59:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-proposal-for-how-to-make-days-of-the-week-correspond-consistently-with-dates/990127/1 "2023-09-14T22:59:24Z")
I was annoyed by something that came up in my job today because of the fact that there is no firm correspondence between dates and days of the week from year to year. Any previous attempts I’ve seen to try to make them consistent has suggested making certain days outside the regular 7-day cycle. This will never get traction from the religious communities that rely on the 7-day cycle to tell them which day to do certain things on. But I did come up with a different way: leap weeks. So the first thing is to throw away December 31 in most years so that most years have a multiple of 7 days. Then on some sort of cycle that more calculation-inclined people would be able to determine, we would add a full week to the end of the year, bringing back December 31 as well as adding December 32 through 37, so that the seasons don’t shift relative to the calendar, incorporating both the current leap day needed roughly every 4 years as well as the fact that most years would be a day short. Your thoughts on such a proposal? Perhaps your suggestion on what cycle to use for determining which years have leap weeks? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-proposal-for-how-to-make-days-of-the-week-correspond-consistently-with-dates/990127/2 "2023-09-14T23:03:34Z")
Why? Why must days of the week correspond to calendar dates? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-proposal-for-how-to-make-days-of-the-week-correspond-consistently-with-dates/990127/3 "2023-09-14T23:08:19Z")
This really does seem like a solution in search of a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-proposal-for-how-to-make-days-of-the-week-correspond-consistently-with-dates/990127/4 "2023-09-14T23:08:40Z")
If it’s good enough for Hobbits, it’s good enough for me. > **[Shire Calendar](https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Shire_Calendar)** > > The Shire Calendar was used by the Hobbits of the Shire. It was different from that used by the Men, Dwarves and Elves. Use of this calendar in Middle-earth is referred... ---
**Author:** ![vbob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vbob/32/4439_2.png) [@vbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vbob)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-proposal-for-how-to-make-days-of-the-week-correspond-consistently-with-dates/990127/5 "2023-09-14T23:11:06Z")
For a high school science class in an earlier millennium I drafted a modest proposal to use some unspecified scheme of giant rocket motors to change the Earth year to 333-1/3 days, with some corresponding shenanigans to break the new 3 year interval of 1000 days into some rational decimal calendar. I hadn’t studied the French Revolution yet, so wasn’t aware of how well THAT worked. Alas, I’ve lost those notes somewhere in the last 50 years. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-proposal-for-how-to-make-days-of-the-week-correspond-consistently-with-dates/990127/6 "2023-09-14T23:17:14Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > If it’s good enough for Hobbits, it’s good enough for me. It’s not that different to the [ancient Egyptian calendar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_calendar): > [@](#): > > The year consisted of three seasons of 120 days each, plus an intercalary month of five epagomenal days treated as outside of the year proper. Each season was divided into four months of 30 days. I would favor four seasons of 90 days, though, to have a winter, summer and two inbetween seasons, as we do today. Then a Festivus of five days at the end of each year (six in leap years). ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-proposal-for-how-to-make-days-of-the-week-correspond-consistently-with-dates/990127/7 "2023-09-14T23:17:19Z")
Because it would make some aspects of my job easier. That is all. ---
**Author:** ![UDS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47774/32.png) [@UDS1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS1)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-proposal-for-how-to-make-days-of-the-week-correspond-consistently-with-dates/990127/8 "2023-09-15T00:22:45Z")
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > I would favor four seasons of 90 days, though, to have a winter, summer and two inbetween seasons, as we do today. Then a Festivus of five days at the end of each year (six in leap years). Seasons are partly cultural artefacts; they result from regional climate conditions and local agricultural practices, and they vary from face to face. Large parts of the world don’t have four seasons — many places have two seasons, “wet” and “dry”, while others have six or even more seasons. If you’re looking for a calendar that will be accepted globally, then it needs to ignore local seasons. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-proposal-for-how-to-make-days-of-the-week-correspond-consistently-with-dates/990127/9 "2023-09-15T00:25:34Z")
> [@glowacks](#): > > Because it would make some aspects of my job easier. That is all. As soon as you’re God-Emperor of Earth, we’ll get right on it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-proposal-for-how-to-make-days-of-the-week-correspond-consistently-with-dates/990127/10 "2023-09-15T00:37:21Z")
That’s the idea. If I thought this was a realistic proposal to discuss, it would be in GD. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-proposal-for-how-to-make-days-of-the-week-correspond-consistently-with-dates/990127/11 "2023-09-15T00:56:20Z")
> [@glowacks](#): > > we would add a full week to the end of the year, bringing back December 31 as well as adding December 32 through 37, so that the seasons don’t shift relative to the calendar, incorporating both the current leap day needed roughly every 4 years as well as the fact that most years would be a day short. I honestly believe it would be easier to move the earth to a different orbit and make the year 364 days. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-proposal-for-how-to-make-days-of-the-week-correspond-consistently-with-dates/990127/12 "2023-09-15T01:55:56Z")
This proposal is similar to the [Hanke-Henry calendar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanke%E2%80%93Henry_Permanent_Calendar) in using leap weeks rather than leap days, although Hanke-Henry changes the length of some of the months so that each quarter is the same length (30+30+31 days). The Hanke-Henry rule for leap weeks is: a year has a leap week if the corresponding Gregorian year begins or ends on a Thursday. The Common Civil Calendar and Time proposal is similar to Hanke-Henry but uses a leap week rule that’s more similar to the Gregorian rule: a year has a leap week if the year is divisible by 5, but not if it’s divisible by 40 and not divisible by 400. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-proposal-for-how-to-make-days-of-the-week-correspond-consistently-with-dates/990127/13 "2023-09-15T02:03:20Z")
I seem to recall an old addage about the non-applicability of a solution to a situation thay does not exist. Ah, yes, I found it . . . “_If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it._” I reckon the momentum of nigh-on two millenia shant be overcome overnight. Tripler I have to ask, @glowacks, what is your line of profession? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-proposal-for-how-to-make-days-of-the-week-correspond-consistently-with-dates/990127/14 "2023-09-15T02:09:42Z")
I mean, we’ve gotten used to it, but our calendar is kinda broken. Leap years, exceptional leap years that aren’t, leap seconds, months that are all different lengths, and yes, the creep of weekdays across the calendar. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-proposal-for-how-to-make-days-of-the-week-correspond-consistently-with-dates/990127/15 "2023-09-15T02:11:51Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I mean, we’ve gotten used to it, but our calendar is kinda broken Is it “broken” if we’ve gotten used to it? Tripler Granted, it’ll be better when we have ‘Stardates.’ ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-proposal-for-how-to-make-days-of-the-week-correspond-consistently-with-dates/990127/16 "2023-09-15T02:14:27Z")
If God existed and created the Universe for humans, what would be the logic behind the current number of days in the year, as well as having leap years? ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-proposal-for-how-to-make-days-of-the-week-correspond-consistently-with-dates/990127/17 "2023-09-15T02:17:01Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Leap years, exceptional leap years that aren’t Easily fixed. Magically force the length of the year to be a precise integral number of days. Your discretion as to whether that’s by manipulating Earth’s orbit or its period of revolution. > [@](#): > > leap seconds While you’re hosing around with natural durations, maybe you could convince the mass concentrations and density balance of the Earth to stop shifting around and stop decelerating so that we don’t have to diddle with the ever-changing, ever-slowing length of the day. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-proposal-for-how-to-make-days-of-the-week-correspond-consistently-with-dates/990127/18 "2023-09-15T02:31:24Z")
I’ll get right on that, maybe after i have a snack. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-proposal-for-how-to-make-days-of-the-week-correspond-consistently-with-dates/990127/19 "2023-09-15T02:38:29Z")
Even tho many have decided that we cant use Christian nomenclature, such as AD and BC (CE and BCE are often used instead), we still have ancient pagan names for the days of the week. People hate change. The French tried to change things with a new, better calendar, with nothing named after pagan gods, etc. It failed horribly. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-proposal-for-how-to-make-days-of-the-week-correspond-consistently-with-dates/990127/20 "2023-09-15T02:41:33Z")
Wouldn’t the [13 month calendar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Fixed_Calendar) be easier? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-proposal-for-how-to-make-days-of-the-week-correspond-consistently-with-dates/990127.md?page=2)