S2S #002: Who Really Invented the Calendar?
When Time Became a Tool, a Loop and a Trap!
Reader’s Note
So, I was scrollin’ (as one does), and somebody said the calendar is just a man-made construct. And I was like… wait a minute who’s man? Time may be BUT the calendar … Mmm.
Because if it’s Gregorian Greg from the Vatican, we got a lot to unpack.
Turns out? The calendar wasn’t invented once it’s been tweaked, twisted, colonized, and even weaponized. Here is the truth.
The Original Timekeepers
Long before January was shakin’ hands with capitalism and astrology apps, ancient civilizations were tracking time with math, sky science, and spiritual alignment.
The Egyptians created a 365-day solar calendar based on the Nile’s flooding and the rising of Sirius (not Apple’s Siri, the real star).
The Mayans had multiple calendars, including the Tzolk’in (260 days) and the Haab’ (365 days). These weren’t just datebooks they were sacred blueprints for cosmic alignment.
The Babylonians used lunar calendars and gave us the 7-day week. Yup… your whole life been running on ancient Mesopotamian vibes.
The Chinese had lunisolar calendars that balanced moon cycles with solar seasons, and it's still celebrated today in Lunar New Year traditions.
So yeah. Humans were tracking time way before Western Europe knew what day it was.
Enter: The Gregorian Switch-Up
Fast forward to 1582, when Pope Gregory XIII decided the old Julian calendar was off by 11 minutes per year—which added up to Easter drifting like a broken GPS.
So he got his council together and said, “Cut 10 days from the calendar and start fresh.” Boom, October 4th was immediately followed by October 15th. People were like “WHERE TF DID THE WEEK GO?” No lie.
This new Gregorian calendar spread mostly through colonization and Catholic influence, not because it was “the best,” but because it got enforced.
And America?
Baby… the U.S. didn’t “invent” the calendar, it just synced up with Europe’s version in 1752, and said, “Cool. We’ll take that too.” It’s now the global standard but let’s be real: it was never about universal time. It was about control, order, and scheduling your soul like a 9-5.
Final Thought:
The calendar didn’t just track time. It reshaped ritual, agriculture, spirituality, and eventually… productivity.
It went from cosmic compass to capitalist countdown.
So next time your phone says “Monday,” remember: You’re not just following time… you’re following someone’s version of it.
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