THE WESTERN / GREGORIAN CALENDAR

Todays ‘regular’ calendar used in the Western world is actually called the Gregorian calendar. It is a solar-based calendar system with 12 fixed months of approx 30-31 days. The Gregorian calendar, otherwise known as the Western or Christian calendar is an internationally used calendar comprised of days, months, and years.

• A Gregorian calendar is structured with 12 months, 7 days a week, and 365 days in a standard year.
• As it aligns with Earth’s orbit around the sun, a ‘leap year’ is added every 4 years (adding and extra day to the month of February) to stay accurate.

The Gregorian calendar was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 to correct errors in the preceding ‘Julian calendar’, which was drifting out of sync with the seasons. This concerned Gregory because it meant that Easter, traditionally observed on March 21, fell further away from the spring equinox with each passing year. The Gregorian calendar differs from the solar year by 26 seconds per year and over the years a discrepancy of several hours has arisen. In the future, calendar systems may change, but the Gregorian Calendar is here to stay for now.

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Benefits of using a western / Gregorian calendar:

✔ GLOBAL STANDARD:
The Gregorian calendar is the international calendar for business, transport and communication making it the standard for daily life and internationally consistent across different countries, cultures, and time zones.
✔ ASTRONOMICAL ACCURACY:
The calendar is designed to stay in sync with the Earth’s revolution around the sun (the solar year). It is said to be accurately precise, deviating by only one day every 3,200 to 3,300 years.
✔ EQUINOX AND SOLSTICE OBSERVED:
The primary goal of the Gregorian calendar was to fix the date of the March equinox, which had shifted from March 21st March 11 under the older Julian calendar system. This date was important to the Christian churches, because it is fundamental to the calculation of the date of Easter.

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Click here for reusable, printable planners >>
Click here for Solstice + Equinox downloadable resource >>

THE SEASONAL MARAMATAKA

This seasonal calendar bridges both the Matamataka and the Gregorian calendar.
With te reo Maori months, day and seasons, plus illustrations make it easy for tamariki and their kaiako to learn and connect to te taiao (the environment).

It is designed with te reo Māori months, seasons and days of the week, helping to bring these kupu (words) into every day use and strengthen learning in te reo Māori.

Illustrated to help connect visually with the seasons, helping to observe how each flow into each other in an ongoing cycle of nature.

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Benefits of using a seasonal maramataka:

✔ BLENDED CALENDARS:
A calendar that helps bridge traditional Maramataka and the modern Gregorian calendar, making it a useful learning resource.
✔ INTERACTIVE:
Turn the wheels to match the date, month and season.
✔ KID FRIENDLY:
Illustrations help kids understand each season + relevant to the Southern Hemisphere seasons.
✔ PERPETUAL:
Circular design allows the calendar to be used for years to come!

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View Seasonal Maramataka >>

Each of these calendar systems has merit and can all be used to compliment one another, adding depth, accuracy and nature connection to our daily planning.

While most of the world uses the solar Gregorian calendar for daily life, many cultures, particularly in Asia, the Middle East, and Indigenous communities, rely on the phases of the moon to mark significant events. In our home and learning we use all three!

Check out these seasons ans cycles resources >>