Frequently Asked Questions about Calendars
Since March 1996 I have had the pleasure to edit the “Calendar FAQ.” This has been a
source of great enjoyment both for me and – I hope – for my readers.
Until recently, the Calendar FAQ has primarily been published on Usenet (Internet news groups)
with a copy available on my web site. But I feel that the time has come to make better use of the
web medium, even though this means giving up on Usenet posting.
The result is this web site. Because of the change in format, I hope to be able to start a
process of more frequent, continual updates, and I would encourage you to write to me if you have
any suggestions. You will find my email address in the left hand column.
So please enjoy this Calendar FAQ. You will find the table of contents in the left hand
column.
Best wishes,
Claus Tøndering,
Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
Writing dates
Throughout these pages, dates will be written in the British format (1 January) rather than
the American format (January 1). Dates will occasionally be abbreviated: “1 Jan” rather
than “1 January”.
Years before and after the “official” birth year of Christ will be written
“45 BC” or “AD 1997”, respectively. I prefer this notation
over the secular “45 BCE” and “1997 CE”.
Algorithms
A simple C language implementation of all the formulas
given in this document can be found at
Calendar Algorithms.
Copyright and disclaimer
This document is Copyright ©2013 by Claus Tøndering.
The document may be freely distributed, provided this copyright notice is included and no money
is charged for the document.
This document is provided “as is”. No warranties are made as to its correctness.