The Guardian view on North Korea’s competing calendars: arranging the days of our lives
Pyongyang may be moving away from its Juche dating system, but others cling to their own kinds of time despite the Gregorian supremacy
I n one regard – and one regard only – North Korea appears to have moved somewhat closer to global norms. Several state media outlets have abruptly abandoned their use of the Juche, or “self-reliance”, calendar, giving only Gregorian dates. Days before, they had also placed North Korea in the year 113, since the Juche system begins with the birth of the country’s first leader Kim Il-sung in 1912 – though it was not adopted until 1997 (or the year 86).
The onward march of the Gregorian calendar, first across western Europe and then the globe, appears relentless. Yet a handful of countries hold out. Iran and Afghanistan use the solar and lunar Islamic Hijri calendars respectively, placing their citizens in 1446 AH. Nepal’s Vikram Samvat calendar runs more than half a century ahead of the Gregorian. The Ethiopian calendar, like the Gregorian, is dated from the birth of Christ – but probably more accurately, according to Biblical scholars, since it places it in 7BC.
Many countries rely on alternative systems for religious purposes – in Orthodox countries, the Julian calendar; in Gulf countries, the Islamic Hijri system. But others use dual systems for civil matters, as North Korea did. Thailand is speeding through the 26th century, thanks to a calendar said to commence with the death of the Buddha. In the Hebrew calendar used by Israel, said to begin with the creation of the world, the year 5785 has just begun. In Japan, the era system – dated from the accession of each emperor – is still widely used, especially for official purposes. A Nobel prize-winning scientist and a former supreme court judge were among those who selected the name of the latest era, Reiwa, which began in 2019.
