Second Twelve

Today is the 24th day of the year 2024, Second Twelve, according to Angus MacLise's New Universal Solar Calendar. Second Twelve also happens to be composer Elaine Radigue's birthday, but we'll get into that tomorrow.  Happy Second Twelve, y'all!

The 12th day of the year is sometimes called First Twelve, although it is also known as Day of the Thought Market for some reason. The 36th day of the year, however, is not Third Twelve but The Ancient Village, and there is no Fourth Twelve.

The NUSC is not divided into lunar months and 7-day weeks for the moon's phases like the Western calendar. Further, the NUSC does not use numeric dates for days of the year, but instead assigns each day a name based on its own internal logic. But rather than one long, monolitihic list of 365 day names, the NUSC divides the year into five seasons: Childwinter, Spring, Summer, Fall, and Hagwinter. Each season is approximately 73 days, coincidentally the same as the number of books in the King James Bible. 

Childwinter begins on January 1, Ways to the Deep Meadow, and ends 72 days later on March 14, The Silent Guest. In leap years, such as this year of 2024, an extra day is added for February 29, the 60th day of the year. Appropriately, that extra day has been named Fifth Twelve so on leap years, then, Childwinter has 73 days.

Spring begins on Maelstrom, March 15 (the Ides of March) in the Western Calendar. In leap years, Maelstrom falls on March 14, but still signifies the start of Spring. The season ends 73 days later on the oddly named To the Inaugurator of Movements (May 26th). The remaining seasons are as follows: 

Summer (73 days)

Starts: Day of the Iron Scepter (May 27)

Ends: Swept Into, also known as Day of Gammadion (August 7)

Fall (74 days)

Starts: Day of the Mantle (August 8)

Ends: Fifth Day of the Hammer (October 19)   

Hagwinter (73 days)

Starts: Mysteries of the Sandman (October 20)

Ends: Into the Whirring Yards (December 31)

Obviously, MacLise was in the Northern Hemisphere (the seasons are reversed in the Southern Hemisphere) and from northern latitudes (those of us in the Deep South certainly don't consider August 7 the end of Summer).

For a society that revolves around 5-day work weeks and 2-day weekends, the New Universal Solar Calendar has little practical use, although it does avoid some of the confusion we have on determining what day of the week any given date might fall on. For example, my birthday is on Third Day of Light, the 61st day of Summer. It doesn't matter if it's a Saturday, a Monday, or a Thursday. It's the 61st day of Summer and there are 12 days of Summer after it. 

It's impractical, I'll admit. The only reason to use the NUSC is to confuse other people and attempt to look cool and poetic. In other words, it's right up my alley, and is the official calendar of Water Dissolves Water.