International Calendar Awareness Month seeks to remind us of changes to our current calendar over the years and educate us about the different calendars used by various cultures worldwide. Pope Gregory XIII created the Gregorian Calendar in 1582, but it was universally implemented in 1752. The Gregorian calendar has 365 days, with one leap year every four years to account for the 365.25 days it takes the sun to rotate around the earth. The birth of Christ is the demarcation point for BC "Before Christ" and AD "Anno Domini," meaning "The year of our Lord." Non-Christian societies refer to the periods as BCE "Before the Common Era" and CE "Common Era." Regardless of which designation, the same demarcation point, the birth of Jesus Christ is universal. We use both markers in LEEP Calendar. Prior to 1752, the world used the Julian Calendar, which the Roman Empire adopted in 45 BC by Julius Caesar. He was the first to create Leap years and designate January 1 as the first of the year, but the timing was off by one day every 128 years. When the Roman Empire fell, the first of the year moved back to March and, in some cases, Christmas. By the Middle Ages, the extra day every 128 years caused issues with Christian holidays and the harvest. The equinoxes marking the changes in the seasons were falling ten days too early. Pope Gregory XIII decreed a new calendar for all of Christendom. England and its colonies, Protestant and ever the rebel, continued on the Julian Calendar under Queen Elizabeth I, while the rest of Europe transitioned to the new Gregorian Calendar. Eventually, this became problematic, leaving England out of step with its trading partners. An act of parliament in England officially approved the Gregorian Calendar in 1750, and the change was implemented in stages during 1752 and established January 1 as New Year's Day. Every civilization has operated on a calendar. Other calendars in use today often follow religious observances and mark their years according to when that specific faith came into being or by the position of the moon, stars, and sun. Examples of this include: 1) The Islamic calendar (Hijra) begins in 622 CE to mark the Prophet Mohammed's journey between Mecca and Medina. 2) The Hebrew Calendar begins October 6, 3761 BCE. 3) The Hindu calendar begins January 23, 3102 BCE. 4) The Buddhist calendar initiates on May 13, 544 BCE, or March 11, 545 BCE. There is some discrepancy within the faith. 5) The Sikhs mark time from March 14, 1469 CE. 6) The Chinese Calendar begins in 2637 BCE. Live in countries where the above religions are the dominant faith? You'll find events, holidays, and legal documents often have the faith calendar date rather than, or in addition to, the Gregorian calendar date. Following a religious calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar can be advantageous. On average, faith calendars are shorter than the Gregorian calendar, allowing for shorter billing cycles per year. The shortage often translates to a 13th month of pay for employees working under religious calendars. In Islamic countries, where the Hijra calendar is the official government calendar, you'll see this. It is also why Islamic observances move every year 11 days earlier.