Latest news with #GregoryXIII
Mint
6 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Why does the British tax year end on April 5th?
For Britons the end of the tax year looms on April 5th. Why such a seemingly random date? In the Middle Ages England's tax year—or a nascent version of it—ended on Lady Day, March 25th, a religious festival by when debts had to be settled. The country, like most of Europe, used the Julian calendar. But Julius Caesar's system was flawed, and in 1582 continental Europe, on Pope Gregory XIII's orders, shifted to a more accurate model. Protestant England resisted. By the mid-18th century England was 11 days behind the continent, creating scope for confusion in trade and diplomacy. To catch up it made a one-off excision of a week and a half from September 1752. People would go to sleep on September 2nd and wake up on the 14th. At the time, tax was charged not on income but on land and windows. These were annual payments, so to keep the tax period at 365 days people were given 11 extra days to settle their bill. Then, in 1758, the window-tax year was explicitly extended by 11 days, to April 5th. This was the date used when William Pitt the Younger introduced income tax in 1799, and has marked the close of the tax year ever since. Some may see this as an example of Britain's loveable eccentricity, others as a symbol of the arcane nature of the British tax code itself. The April date puts Britain at odds with countries such as America, France and Germany, all of which harmonise with the calendar year. Indeed, it does not coincide with the British government's own financial year, which begins (don't ask why) on April 1st. The Chartered Institute of Taxation, a body for tax professionals, says getting in sync with other countries would increase efficiency and reduce friction. Despite its name, the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS), an independent body within the Treasury, pointed in a 2021 report to the administrative effort that would be involved in changing the date, though it conceded that 'a tax year aligned to the calendar year would be the natural, simplest and easiest approach". Don't hold your breath: the OTS was abolished in 2023. Correction (March 31st 2025): The original version of this article mistakenly attributed the Gregorian calendar to Pope Gregory III, not XIII. Sorry. For more expert analysis of the biggest stories in Britain, sign up to Blighty, our weekly subscriber-only newsletter.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
These 27 Dangerously Funny Fails From Last Week Have Me Laughing So Hard I Might Actually Break A Rib
Editor's Note: While we can't endorse what X has become, we can bring you the fun moments that still exist there, curated and free of the surrounding chaos. Surprise, surprise — another Monday is upon us, but it will come as no surprise that I have devised another plan to free us from their grasp. Since Pope Gregory XIII is the one who created the Gregorian calendar, perhaps all I need to do is get a little message to the new pope and ask to have Mondays removed from the calendar once and for all. In the meantime, we've got these 27 hilarious fails from last week to get us through: now, you're probably thirsty again, too. don't have to grip the glass so hard, dude. olive you babe, but this is too much. should work for the human body. be fair, it is a really beautiful roasted chicken. that sexy Martha Washington energy. one's on the house. to start the day over entirely. a uh... "long heart," right? better than trying to watch them find it afterward. like his legs have been... swept under the rug. do you return this without them thinking it was you? your Power Card balance low? is how the pope does it. is that all? way is, "I'm not having a good time right now." is no way to know when ice cream will return to this plane of existence. you're gonna keep secrets, you can't go to your regular bar. what is the significance of six? casual, please. the one that's closest to my house? 22."He's here!" "He" being Jahmyr Gibbs, of course. must think you're perfect for everyone. like it's already working. loading up on carbs for a day just like this one. the price of a Broadway ticket, to be honest. finally, thank you so much for your input. If you enjoyed these laughs, go follow the creators! And for more fails, check out our most recent posts: "The Six Words No Parent Wants To Hear At 9:15 P.M.": 23 Hysterical Fails From Last Week That'll Make You Laugh So Hard You Can Tell Your Doctor You Did Cardio I Laughed So Hard At These 29 Fails From Last Week, I'm Probably Going Straight To The Bad Place 31 Gut-Busting Fails From Last Week That'll Make You Laugh So Hard You Can Legally Consider It Cardio
Buzz Feed
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
27 Hilarious Internet Fails From Last Week
Surprise, surprise — another Monday is upon us, but it will come as no surprise that I have devised another plan to free us from their grasp. Since Pope Gregory XIII is the one who created the Gregorian calendar, perhaps all I need to do is get a little message to the new pope and ask to have Mondays removed from the calendar once and for all. In the meantime, we've got these 27 hilarious fails from last week to get us through: And now, you're probably thirsty again, too. You don't have to grip the glass so hard, dude. Look, olive you babe, but this is too much. Reboots should work for the human body. To be fair, it is a really beautiful roasted chicken. It's that sexy Martha Washington energy. This one's on the house. Time to start the day over entirely. It's a uh... "long heart," right? Nothing better than trying to watch them find it afterward. Looks like his legs have been... swept under the rug. How do you return this without them thinking it was you? Was your Power Card balance low? This is how the pope does it. Oh, is that all? One way is, "I'm not having a good time right now." There is no way to know when ice cream will return to this plane of existence. If you're gonna keep secrets, you can't go to your regular bar. Wait... what is the significance of six? More casual, please. Um, the one that's closest to my house? "He's here!" "He" being Jahmyr Gibbs, of course. She must think you're perfect for everyone. Seems like it's already working. Currently loading up on carbs for a day just like this one. Worth the price of a Broadway ticket, to be honest. And finally, thank you so much for your input. If you enjoyed these laughs, go follow the creators! And for more fails, check out our most recent posts:
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Easter photos: East meets West with celebrations around the world
It was a meeting of East and West on Sunday as people around the world celebrated Easter on the same day, an overlap that happens every three to four years. Easter's moveable date should be simple enough: the Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox. But for the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches, the moveable date has an extra complication: different calendars, not to mention different calculations for lunar cycles and the equinox. Though convention has it the churches split during the Great Schism of 1054, they largely maintained the same calendars until 1582, when Pope Gregory XIII adopted the Gregorian calendar for the Roman church. The Orthodox church kept the Julian calendar. Secular celebrations of Easter — think pastel-coated eggs, basket-carrying rabbits and the occasional parade — always match the Western feast day. But enough history. Here's a look at how Easter was celebrated this weekend from Asia and Africa to Europe, the Middle East and beyond. This article was originally published on
Russia Today
20-04-2025
- General
- Russia Today
Two Easters, one Christ: The complex calendar politics of faith
It is Lent in the Christian world, but in reality, it only alters the lives of monks and Moscow restaurateurs, who rush to invent Lenten menus to profit from the public's fear of living in sin. However, Lent inevitably leads to the most important Christian holiday: Easter. This year, Orthodox Easter coincides with that of other denominations – a rare event, last seen in 2017. But why do they usually fall on different dates? The answer lies in history, astronomy, and religious identity. The calculation of Easter's date is famously complicated. For Orthodox Christians, Easter is determined by the Julian calendar. It must fall on the first Sunday after the full moon following the spring equinox – but only if it also occurs after Jewish Passover (Pesach). This rule is based on the Bible's account of Christ's crucifixion during the Passover season. Christianity, like Islam, is an Abrahamic religion deeply rooted in Judaism, even if it has often distanced itself from those origins. Catholic Easter follows similar logic, but uses the Gregorian calendar. It too changes annually, but is calculated using rules introduced in the 16th century by Pope Gregory XIII. The result is that Orthodox and Catholic Easter only align once every few years. There are four main reasons why the Russian Orthodox Church has held on to the Julian calendar: First, it is a statement of independence. The Orthodox Church sees itself as distinct from Rome. While it may not always be stated directly, in Orthodox theological thought, Catholicism is often viewed as schismatic. Maintaining a separate calendar reinforces that divide. Second, tradition has weight. Every day in the Orthodox calendar commemorates saints, texts, hymns, and rituals. With thousands of parishes following this system, shifting to a new calendar would cause logistical chaos. Third, Church leaders fear that calendar reform could provoke unrest. A failed attempt to modernize the Church in the early 20th century, when the 'Renovationists' tried to introduce reforms, remains a cautionary tale. The memory of that upheaval still lingers. Fourth, the Julian calendar is seen as part of ancient Church tradition – an expression of historical continuity and spiritual identity. To abandon it would be, for many, to break from something sacred. Still, practical contradictions remain. Consider this: the modern world celebrates January 1 as New Year's Day, but Russian Orthodox believers celebrate Christmas twelve days later than other denominations, on January 7. It means we ring in the 'new year' before the birth of Christ—an odd inversion of the Christian calendar. Some have suggested aligning Christmas with the Gregorian calendar, as the Greek Orthodox Church has done. In that model, fixed holidays match the modern calendar, but Easter continues to be calculated using Julian rules. Complicated? Absolutely. But theology is a complicated discipline. Liturgical studies, canon law, and Church history are all well-established academic fields. Surely, a Church department could study how to transition to the Gregorian calendar without losing liturgical continuity. About a decade ago, there was a proposal to move Christmas to January 1. The logic was simple: New Year's Day marks the start of a new era, and the festivities already exist. Why not combine the joy of the secular calendar with the birth of Christ? Those who wished could even treat the end of December as a fast before Christmas, making the celebration more meaningful. Ultimately, the Church must remain a firm pillar of spiritual life. It cannot follow every passing whim. But pillars, too, are built by human hands. And perhaps, sometimes, they can be adjusted – not out of weakness, but for the sake of clarity and relevance. In an era when Easter rarely brings all Christians together on the same day, it may be worth asking whether the spiritual world is being served by the division over dates. Or whether it's time to think again about what unites article was first published by the online newspaper and was translated and edited by the RT team
