Calendars in Sweden and in Austria

In US, it is possible, at least it comes off as a standard, that calendars are one bunch of 365 small leaves, and you pull one off each day. I've seen that type in Sweden too, but another one is more standard. Same thing for Austria. It has at least thirteen leaves and numbers 2 - 12 have dates on one side and an image on the other side. Number 1 which you hang up first alone only has an image corresponding to the dates on number two hanging below. And number 13 has only dates for December and no image for next month, since that is next year.

Now, I will here show how the date sides of calendars look, first January and February next year in Sweden, then January and February next year in Austria.

First a guide to abbreviations:

v.	=vecka	=W.	=Woche	=week
Sö	=Söndag	=So	=Sonntag	=Sunday
Må	=Måndag	=Mo	=Montag	=Monday
Ti	=Tisdag	=Di	=Dienstag	=Tuesday
On	=Onsdag	=Mi	=Mittwoch	=Wednesday
To	=Torsdag	=Do	=Donnerstag	=Thursday
Fr	=Fredag	=Fr	=Freitag	=Friday
Lö	=Lördag	=Sa	=Samstag	=Saturday

I leave out marking Sundays red or marking non-Sunday feast days red (Epiphany or January 6 in Sweden and Austria, Candlemass or February 2nd in at least Austria).

Now Sweden:

JANUARI 2020
	v. 52	v. 1	v. 2	v. 3	v. 4
Må		6	13	20	27
Ti		7	14	21	28
On	1	8	15	22	29
To	2	9	16	23	30
Fr	3	10	17	24	31
Lö	4	11	18	25
Sö	5	12	19	26

FEBRUARI 2020
	v. 4	v. 5	v. 6	v. 7	v. 8
Må		3	10	17	24
Ti		4	11	18	25
On		5	12	19	26
To		6	13	20	27
Fr		7	14	21	28
Lö	1	8	15	22	29
Sö	2	9	16	23

Now Austria:

JÄNNER 2020
	W. 52	W. 1	W. 2	W. 3	W. 4
So		5	12	19	26
Mo		6	13	20	27
Di		7	14	21	28
Mi	1	8	15	22	29
Do	2	9	16	23	30
Fr	3	10	17	24	31
Sa	4	11	18	25

FEBER 2020
	W. 4	W. 5	W. 6	W. 7	W. 8
So		2	9	16	23
Mo		3	10	17	24
Di		4	11	18	25
Mi		5	12	19	26
Do		6	13	20	27
Fr		7	14	21	28
Sa	1	8	15	22	29

If you know German, you may note that while Jänner and Feber are not standard Germany German, they are standard Austrian German.

Common things are that weeks are counted, and that a week carries on identically in its number from the month where it began, so week 4 begins in January and ends in February.

That is why January begins with remaining days of week 52 of the previous year.

One difference is, and I noted it as a child, Swedish week counting begins on Mondays, like five days' work before two days' weekend, but Austrian weeks begin on Sundays, as the Biblical "first day" of the week and Saturday remains the seventh day as it was in the Old Testament.

This means a common year which ends on Monday in Sweden but one which ends on Sunday in Austria will have a week 53 and the first week of next year will have remaining six days of week 53. In the case of leap years, years ending Monday 30th and Tuesday 31st will have have the week 53 with five remaining days in next year in Sweden, while in Austria that happens with Sunday 30th and Monday 31st. One can also imagine a leap year ending in Monday in Sweden and in Sunday in Austria having its week 53 carrying on into next year.

One advantage is, as you have week numbers any planning which involves week so and so of the year is readable if you consult the calendar. Another one, common to Austria's Catholics and Sweden's Lutherans is, you will see the numbered Sundays of for instance Advent or Lent or after Epiphany or after Pentecost - that is, in Sweden, Sundays in that period don't go "Pentecost, Trinity or 1st after Pentecost, 2nd after Pentecost", but instead "Pentecost, Trinity, 1st after Trinity".

As Lutherans and Anglicans both took over most of the Catholic calendars, this has some importance even in Sweden and I presume England.

Hans Georg Lundahl
Ivry
Sts Sabinus of Assisi
and Companions, martyrs at Spoleto
30.XII.2019

Spoleti item natalis sanctorum Martyrum Sabini, Assisiensis Episcopi, atque Exsuperantii et Marcelli Diaconorum, ac Venustiani Praesidis cum uxore et filiis, sub Maximiano Imperatore. Ex ipsis Marcellus et Exsuperantius, primum equuleo suspensi, deinde fustibus graviter mactati, postremnm, abrasi ungulis et laterum exustione assati, martyrium compleverunt; Venustianus autem non multo post, simul cum uxore et filiis, est gladio necatus; sanctus vero Sabinus, post detruncationem manuum et diutinam carceris macerationem, ad mortem usque caesus est. Horum martyrium, licet diverso exstiterit tempore, una tamen die recolitur.