Old Calendar, New Calendar... Why Two Calendars?

There are two calendars because people count years differently, just like you might count your toys in two different ways.

Imagine you have a box of 12 marbles, and each marble represents a month. If you count them one by one, that’s 12 months, January to December. That's the Old Calendar. But sometimes people add an extra marble on top, like when there are 13 months in some years. This is called a leap year, and it happens every few years to keep our calendar in line with the seasons. The New Calendar uses this extra marble more often.

Some people, especially in certain parts of the world, prefer to use the Old Calendar because they've been using it for a very long time, like how your grandma might still count her fingers in a special way. Others use the New Calendar, which adds that extra marble more often, just like when you get an extra treat on special days.

It’s like having two different ways to play with your toys, both are fun, and both help us know when it's time for holidays or school! There are two calendars because people count years differently, just like you might count your toys in two different ways.

Imagine you have a box of 12 marbles, and each marble represents a month. If you count them one by one, that’s 12 months, January to December. That's the Old Calendar. But sometimes people add an extra marble on top, like when there are 13 months in some years. This is called a leap year, and it happens every few years to keep our calendar in line with the seasons. The New Calendar uses this extra marble more often.