The French Revolutionary Calendar was used by the French government for 12 years from late 1793 to 1805, and for 18 days in 1871 by the Paris commune.
Follow the link to enter any date from September 21st 1792 to convert it to the French Revolutionary Calendar http://www.windhorst.org/calendar/
In the France of the 1790s, the Gregorian calendar was temporarily replaced with the French revolutionary calendar, or calendrier républicain (Republican calendar). It was widely used, both in France and other countries then under French rule (including the Netherlands and Belgium). It is strikingly different from the Gregorian one we again use today.
Main Features of the Calendar:
The authors of the calendar changed the names of months and the days of the week, eliminating all Judeo-Christian religious references and replacing these with Latin-based names that most frequently referred to plants and other natural phenomena.
Replacing “Saint’s Days” in the Gregorian calendar, each day of the year was assigned a seasonally appropriate plant, flower, fruit, or other food or food preparation item (for example, October 4th corresponds to Potiron (winter squash or pumpkin); May 25th is Mélisse (lemon balm); etc).
All twelve months were assigned 30 days allowing for five or six extra days at the end of the year. Weeks were given 10 days, and months were given three “decades” to account for the 30 days. There were only 10 hours in a day not 24.
The 10 days of the week were named as follows:
- primidi (first day)
- duodi (second day)
- tridi (third day)
- quartidi (fourth day)
- quintidi (fifth day)
- sextidi (sixth day)
- septidi (seventh day)
- octidi (eighth day)
- nonidi (ninth day)
- décadi (tenth day)
and the months as follows:
1. Germinal (March 21st/22nd to April 19th/20th)
Marking the first month of spring, Germinal refers to budding plants. Its name derives from the Latin word “germen”, meaning bud or sprout. The French novelist Emile Zola would later give the name to his famous novel of 1885.
2. Floréal (April 20th/21st to May 19th/20th)
The second spring month is Floréal which refers to the blossoming of seasonal flowers and marks the beginning of the sign of Taurus.
3. Prairial (May 20th/21st to June 19th/20th
The third and final spring month under the calendrier républicain is Prairial, which comes from the French prairie, or meadow.
4. Messidor (June 19th/20th to August 17th/18th)
The summer begins with Messidor, often depicted and described as a time of relaxation after a period of labor. Frequently symbolized by wheat, it refers to a period of harvest.
5. Thermidor (July 19th/20th August 17th/18th)
Midsummer in the revolutionary calendar corresponds to Thermidor, or “month of warmth”.
6. Fructidor (August 18th/19th to 21st/22nd September)
Late summer marks Fructidor, or the time of fruitfulness. This is traditionally the moment when many fresh fruits and nuts would be ripe and harvested.
7. Vendémaire (September 22nd/23rd/24th October 21st, 22nd or 23rd)
Referring to the vendanges, or wine harvests, late summer turns to early autumn with Vendémaire. This is traditionally the period of the year when France harvest the year’s grapes to produce wines.
8. Brumaire (October 22nd/23rd/24th to November 20th/21st/22nd)
As fall deepens and the days grow darker, we reach Brumaire, from the French brume or brumeux meaning foggy, associated with reflection and darkness and the promise of renewal
9. Frimaire (November 21st/22nd/23rd to 20th/21st/22nd December)
Moving closer to the solstice, Frimaire marks the beginning of winter and its dark nights. The word comes from the French frimas (frost).
10. Nivôse (December 21st/22nd/23rd to January 19th/20th/21st)
On or directly following the winter solstice comes Nivôse, the month of ice and snow (from the Latin word nivosus, or “snowy”).
11. Pluviôse (January 20th/21st/22nd to February 18th/19th/20th)
The end of the winter in the Republican calendar was named Pluviôse or the rainy season, from the french pluvieux, or rainy.
12. Ventôse (Starting February 19th/20th/21st)
Finally, a thaw is around the corner as we reach Ventôse, or the windy month (from the French venteux, or windy, when hints of spring begin appearing in the form of early blooms and the return of certain birds.
We may think of the French revolutionary calendar as a quaint relic from a period in the nation’s history, yet its charming re-imagining of annual cycles and rhythms, and particularly its references to natural elements, plant and animal life, are enduringly intriguing.
- Pluviose
- Ventose
- Floreal
- Germinal
- Prairial
- Messidor
- Thermidor
- Fructidor
- Nivose
- Brumaire
- Vendemiaire
- Frimaire