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Things of Middle-earth

Shire-reform

Type: Calendars & Measurements

Description:

A modification to the Shire Calendar, also adopted in Bree, that made each date fall on the same weekday every year:
The Shire-folk introduced [to their calendar] one small innovation of their own (eventually also adopted in Bree). which they called Shire-reform. They found the shifting of the weekday names in relation to dates from year to year untidy and inconvenient. So in the time of Isengrim II [Third Age 2683-2722] they arranged that the odd day which put the succession out, should have no weekday name. After that Mid-year's Day (and the Overlithe) was known only by its name and belonged to no week.... In consequence of this reform the year always began on the First Day of the week and ended on the Last Day; and the same date in any one year had the same weekday name in all other years, so that Shire-folk no longer bothered to put the weekday in their letters or diaries. They found this quite convenient at home, but not so convenient if they ever travelled further than Bree.

The Lord of the Rings, Appendix D, The Calendars

Contributors: Elena Tiriel 8Oct08

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