Gregorian calendar
/ɡrɪˈɡɔːrɪən
/noun
The calendar introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII, as a modification of the Julian calendar.The Gregorian calendar improves on the Julian only in its measurement of the year and its calculation of leap years....
- April 1 marked the beginning of the new year until 1582 when Pope Gregory XIII ordered the use of the Gregorian calendar that made Jan. 1 New Year's Day.
- Eastern Orthodox churches never adopted the Gregorian calendar, so their Easter remains on the Julian calendar.
To bring the calendar back into line with the solar year, 10 days were suppressed, and centenary years were only made leap years if they were divisible by 400. Scotland adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1600, but England and Wales did not follow suit until 1752 (by which time 11 days had to be suppressed). At the same time New Year’s Day was changed from 25 March to 1 January, and dates using the new calendar were designated ‘New Style’.