Which Year is It Actually? It’s Complicated…
Many things are part of our everyday lives and we don’t have to question them. There are laws, beliefs, social standards, and social norms that govern work, time, and careers. Every calendar we have on our walls, which we use to guide our lives, was created by someone at one time. But who? But who?
Although I have thought about all the other parts, I never really considered the calendar. I discovered recently that there are many versions of the calendar other than the one we all have.
It was both fascinating and overwhelming. It made me wonder… What year were we in?
From Where Did Our Current Calendar Get It?
Image by @bujo_w_mal
Ask scholars and others who pay attention to such matters, and you’ll find that we don’t really live in 2022. The more you study the history of time and the calendar, the more you will realize how many interpretations time can have.
The Western world uses a calendar that counts the years since Jesus Christ’s birth. This is called “Anno Domini”, which is an abbreviation of “year of the Lord’s incarnation”.
We don’t know the year Christ was born. How can we be certain that 2022 years have passed?
The year 1076 was and Marianus Scotus, an Irish Monk who is also an expert in chronicling, set about clarifying history. He created a meticulous and detailed history of all world events. His research revealed that Christ was actually born 22 more years before we thought.
His research was well-received when he announced his findings. The dates were not changed by anyone.
The reliability of the existing structure was more important than the accuracy of the new dating system.
It makes sense. It must have been a logistical nightmare to go back and rewrite thousands of years worth of recorded history. They just kept things the way they were and created history.
Which Year Does It Fit According to Other Calendars?
What year is this? Who made these calendars?
It is important to remember that different cultures have their own dating systems. Other cultures view the “Gregorian calendar”, which we currently adhere to, as arbitrary.
Let’s look at the year according to other religions and cultures.
Buddhist Calendar
Image: @buddhastory2018 on Instagram
It would be 2565 if we used the Buddhist calendar! This makes me think of the Jetsons, and their little flying cars.
Traditional Buddhists use a series of lunisolar calendars that are mostly used in the mainland south-east Asian countries. This traditional calendar is primarily used for traditional holidays and festivals.
Byzantine Calendar
Image: @novi.precari on Instagram
The Byzantine calendar has just overtaken the Buddhist calendar. It’s 75335 according to the official calendar from the Byzantine Empire. According to this calendar, the year began on September 1 and not January 1.
The creators of this calendar consider Year One to be the date of creation. It was September 1, 5509 B.C.
Hebrew Calendar
Image: @landofhoney on Instagram
The number of years since the creation is represented by the year number on the Jewish Calendar. They came up with this number by doing some biblical math. However, this year does not mean they believe the universe has existed for 5700+ years. I don’t know what is saying.
Holocene Calendar
Image: @industrialdiseaseclinic on Instagram
According to the Holocene calendar, the current year is 12022.
The Holocene Calendar uses the Human Era (HE), rather than Jesus’ birth, as its base. They used 10,000 B.C. As the date of their start, 10,000 B.C. was used. Therefore, 1 A.D. equals 10,001 H.E. Add 10k years to Gregorian year and you get the year on the Holocene Calendar.
In Conclusion
My head is spinning, I don’t know if you but. This is why I think I will stick with the current calendar and not worry about the future. Maybe some things should be left alone!
