THE FRENCH REVOLUTIONARY CALENDAR

Months:

  1. Vendemiaire (Vendemaire) [Vintage] - 30 days
  2. Brumaire [Fog] - 30 days
  3. Frimaire [Sleet] - 30 days
  4. Nivose [Snow] - 30 days
  5. Pluviose (Pluvose) [Rain] - 30 days
  6. Ventose [Wind] - 30 days
  7. Germinal [Sprouts] - 30 days
  8. Floreal [Flowers] - 30 days
  9. Prairial [Pasture] - 30 days
  10. Messidor [Harvest] - 30 days
  11. Thermidor [Heat] - 30 days
  12. Fructidor [Fruit] - 30 days

Followed by the 5 (or 6 in a leap-year) Sansculotides [Feast Days]:

  1. Jour de la Vertu [Virtue Day]
  2. Jour du Genie [Genius Day]
  3. Jour du Travail [Labor Day]
  4. Jour de l'Opinion [Blather/Reason Day]
  5. Jour des Recompenses [Wages/Rewards Day]
  6. Jour de la Revolution [Revolution Day] - (in a leap-year only)

The years 3, 7 and 11 were leap-years. The calendar was abolished in the year 14. The historical accuracy of what the leap-year rule was is in dispute. It may have been every four years except on double zero years not divisible by 400, as in the Gregorian, but another source mentions a rule that would give 31 leap-years in every 128 year period.

Within each 30 day month were 3 "decades" of 10 days each, with the last being a day of rest. This modification of the week was an attempt to de-Christianize the system, but was very unpopular because there were 9 days before a day of rest.

Days:

  1. Primidi
  2. Duodi
  3. Tridi
  4. Quartidi
  5. Quintidi
  6. Sextidi
  7. Septidi
  8. Octidi
  9. Nonidi
  10. Decadi

I've cross-referenced this calendar in my perpetual calendar with several other solar calendars.

Links:

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