Kalends, Nones, Ides

[Türkçe]
[Substack]

In the Roman calendar, each month had three principal days:

1. Kalends
   • 1st day of the month.
   • A day for settling debts.
   • Major religious observances, especially those related to Juno.
   • The term “calendar” is derived from “Kalends.”
2. Nones
   • 7th (March, May, July, October) or 5th (the rest) day of the month.
   • Minor religious observances.
3. Ides
   • Always 8 days after the Nones, so either the 15th (March, May, July, October) or 13th (the rest) day of the month.
   • Also a day for settling debts.
   • Major religious observances, especially those related to Jupiter.

The Romans counted days inclusively, which means that what we would call “2 days before the Kalends,” they would call “3 days before the Kalends.” Also, they numbered the days in a month not by their distance to the first day, but by how many days remain until the next principal day, e.g., “today is the 4th day before the Kalends of October.”

You might have heard of the Ides of March, that fateful day in history. On 15 March 44 BCE, Gaius Julius Caesar was assassinated. This is why the soothsayer in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar was warning him to “beware the ides of March.”

An ancient flavor to the (modern) calendar

I’ve added the principal days of the Roman calendar to my personal calendar. It’s a fun life hack – now I have 3 more days of significance each month (and 36 more each year) to look forward to. Lots of free dopamine for the brain. I recommend giving it a try.

Some other flavor ideas for your calendar:

• I was recommended by a friend to keep track of the phases of the Moon. Why not.
• Check out my Eternal September calendar. You will notice that certain dates feel special, like 10000 September 1993. One can track the Eternal September dates that stand out.

For completeness, below are the principal days in the Roman calendar.

January

• 1 January: Kalendae Ianuariae
• 5 January: Nonae Ianuariae
• 13 January: Idus Ianuariae

February

• 1 February: Kalendae Februariae
• 5 February: Nonae Februariae
• 13 February: Idus Februariae

March

• 1 March: Kalendae Martiae
• 7 March: Nonae Martiae
• 15 March: Idus Martiae

April

• 1 April: Kalendae Apriles
• 5 April: Nonae Apriles
• 13 April: Idus Apriles

May

• 1 May: Kalendae Maiae
• 7 May: Nonae Maiae
• 15 May: Idus Maiae

June

• 1 June: Kalendae Iuniae
• 5 June: Nonae Iuniae
• 13 June: Idus Iuniae

July

• 1 July: Kalendae Iuliae (previously Kalendae Quintiles)
• 7 July: Nonae Iuliae (previously Nonae Quintiles)
• 15 July: Idus Iuliae (previously Idus Quintiles)

August

• 1 August: Kalendae Augustae (previously Kalendae Sextiles)
• 5 August: Nonae Augustae (previously Nonae Sextiles)
• 13 August: Idus Augustae (previously Idus Sextiles)

September

• 1 September: Kalendae Septembres
• 5 September: Nonae Septembres
• 13 September: Idus Septembres

October

• 1 October: Kalendae Octobres
• 7 October: Nonae Octobres
• 15 October: Idus Octobres

November

• 1 November: Kalendae Novembres
• 5 November: Nonae Novembres
• 13 November: Idus Novembres

December

• 1 December: Kalendae Decembres
• 5 December: Nonae Decembres
• 13 December: Idus Decembres