Why is the grid form the standard representaion of the calendar? I’ve never percieved time as a grid. Come to think of it, our gregorian calendar is unnecessarily square and masculine; burdened with ancient ego battles (Why would Augustus have one less day than Julius, huh?), still, it prevails. Oh well, that’s the system we have.
Last year, my sister and I have undertaken a small project to reclaim the calendar for ourselves, adapting the gregorian system (a necessary evil) into a more feminine form: the cycle, the circle.
After multiple iterations, we came up with a constant cycle of 28 days, dividing the year into 13 equal months. It works rather well: the consistency means that once half of the month (or any part of it) is over, it can be cut off, revealing the time underneath in one continuous circle.
This makes a year of 364 days. An extra cycle of 7 days will be added every 5 or 6 years to readjust the seasons. The seasons were named after our local reality in Montréal. If you would like a version that is more relevant to your location (or in English, for that matter) please reach out and we’ll make one!
If you’d like to give it a try, feel free to download the printable version of our latest circular calendar iteration with the links above. In our hearts, the year begins at the Spring Equinox (“Dégel”), so this file covers 2021 and part of 2022. The “japanese” version is clearly the best looking, if you are willing to learn the 7 kanji for the days of the week for more pleasant aesthetics!
Happy New Year! Health and happiness. ♡