An improved calendar?

Updated 28 Feb.

Following my last post, here is one suggestion for a new calendar, having a different number of days for 8 of the months in the year (highlighted). The current number of days per month is in the second column, the proposed number is in the third, the difference is in the fourth and the accumulated difference is in the fifth, which we'd expect to vary over the year, but to be 0 by the end, as indeed it is!

January	31	30	-1	-1
February	28	29	+1	0
March	31	30	-1	-1
April	30	31	+1	0
May	31	31	0	0
June	30	31	+1	+1
July	31	31	0	+1
August	31	31	0	+1
September	30	31	+1	+2
October	31	30	-1	+1
November	30	30	0	+1
December	31	30	-1	0

Let's see what difference this makes to the dates for equinoxes and solstices: 

• first, we'll fix the 2025 Autumn Equinox at Sep 22 (i.e. unchanged)
• the 2025 Winter Solstice is also unchanged on Dec 21, as there are still 91 days in total in the three months of September, October, November
• the 2026 Spring Equinox, almost exactly 89 days later is now on Mar 21, one day later in the calendar than now, as there are now 89 days in the three months December, January and February, as opposed to the actual 90
• the 2026 Summer Solstice, nearly 93 days later is also unchanged on Jun 21, as the number of days in total in March, April and May is still 92
• the 2026 Autumn Equinox, again nearly 93 days later is now on Sep 22, one day earlier in the calendar than now, as the number of days in total in June, July and August is now 93, rather than 92.

So, we can see that with the new equinox dates there would be less variation in these day numbers than before, i.e. on the 21st or 22nd of the month, as opposed to the 20th to 23rd (at least for the years quoted).

If there is a leap year, then we could give the extra day to February, as now, to make it a "proper" month with 30 days, so the number of days in any month would now only ever be 29, 30 or 31.

One final point - why not make December the shortest month, at 29 days and 30 in a leap year? Well, think of the potential for confusion, e.g. do we celebrate New Years Eve on the 29th or is there a 30th this year? January then? Well, it's so close to February, so let's stick with tradition.