Sunday, November 18, 2007

Isle of Man on the Old Calendar...sort of

This doesn't bear directly on Orthodoxy, but next time someone asks what use the Old Calendar is, especially here in the Western world, send them here.

In brief, the date of the chief local holiday on the Isle of Man, a possession of the Queen of the UK lying between Great Britain and the island of Ireland, is determined according to the Old Calendar, as it stood in the 18th century yet. Besides week-long local "national" festivities, the "Midsummer Court" of the Isle's parliament - commonly called the world's oldest in continuous existence (but disputed!) - meets in its most ceremonial and technically 'legal' and necessary session of the year, normally on July 5 (NC) = June 24 (OC 18th c.).

Fascinating.

(I dig the Isle of Man because it's half-Celtic - almost as much as I am!)

Labels: , ,

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home