The Markelsian calendar is a 13-month calendar proposed in 2000 by Minot State University psychology professor Dr. Paul Markel, based on the thirteen Zodiac constellations.
The calendar has twelve 28-day months, and a thirteenth month of 29 days called Ophiucus. The first and twenty-eighth days of each month are always Sunday and Saturday, respectively. Every leap year an additional day, called Julius, is observed immediately after 29 Ophiucus; this day does not belong to any month, but is referred to as the Corrigendum.
In the Markelsian Calendar, the last day of the year is Sunday, Ophiucus 29 (December 17) and the first day of the year is Sunday, Sagittarius 1 (December 18).
Markel says of this feature of his calendar:
- "This presents a unique feature of the Markelsian Calendar, the "Long Sunday", which is a celebration of New Years over a 48-hour "period of rest" or Sabbath (the last and first days of the year comprise a 48-hour Sunday in the Markelsian Calendar). Long Sunday thus challenges the notion of Sabbath and is an example of a cultural paradigm shift that will likely arise with any proposal of calendar reform."
See Also
Long-Sabbath Perennial Calendar: A similar calendar