Balgarianovinite.com Tuesday marks the 110th anniversary of Bulgaria’s adoption of the Gregorian calendar (referred to in dates as New Style). The reform was implemented by omitting 13 days: March 31, 1916 was followed by April 14 rather than April 1, shortening the year to 352 days.
Bulgaria was the first Eastern Orthodox country to adopt the Gregorian calendar for civil use. Russia changed its calendar on February 14/February 1, 1918 as one of the first reforms after the Bolshevik takeover. Montenegro introduced the reform on January 14/28, 1919, while Serbia and Romania did so on January 19/February 1, 1919. Greece was the last of the Orthodox countries and in fact the last European country to abandon the Old Style, on February 16/March 1, 1923.
In Bulgaria, the reform concept was finalized on February 15, 1916. The Vasil Radoslavov Cabinet tabled a draft Act on the Introduction of the Gregorian Calendar at the National Assembly on February 26, arguing that the calendar discrepancy hindered economic and cultural ties with the states of Western Europe. The legislature debated the bill on first reading on March 9 and 10, 1916, passed it conclusively on March 14, and it was promulgated in the State Gazette on March 21.
Contrary to the government’s expectations, the proposal sparked heated debate. The opposition insinuated that it was rushed under pressure from Germany and Austria-Hungary to align military operations with their ally Bulgaria during WW I, and also reflected the government’s anti-Russian stance, after Russia declared war on Bulgaria on October 19, 1915 and shelled its coastal cities, which infuriated the Russophobe powerholders in Sofia.
New Style supporters argued that the Gregorian calendar was far more accurate and progressive and was already used in Bulgaria’s railway and postal links with Europe. They also noted the widespread use of dual dating in publications. (Curiously, the very first item in BTA’s very first news bulletin, issued in 1898, was datelined “Vienna, February 16/28”.)
Church Resistance
The most contentious issue was the impact of the reform on the then intricate State-Church relations at large and the Church calendar in particular.
The Orthodox Church had long opposed the Gregorian calendar. In November 1583, when Pope Gregory XIII proposed to the Orthodox Church to adopt the New Style, which he had introduced on October 4, 1582, the Eastern Orthodox patriarchs at the Council of Constantinople issued a decree condemning the new calendar and prohibiting its use for ecclesiastical purposes.
In 1916, opponents in Bulgaria’s Parliament warned that the reform would disrupt religious observances and confuse people who organized their daily life and work cycles around church holidays. They also suspected that the purpose was to split the Bulgarian Church from the Orthodox community and especially from the Russian Church. For its part, the government maintained that the calendar issue had nothing to do with doctrine and insisted that the feasts of the Church should be observed according to the New Style. The sponsors of the bill even considered 1916 a particularly opportune year for the introduction of the new system because the Orthodox and the Catholic Easter then fell on the same date. Critics see this as an indication or a Uniate or rather an early ecumenical tendency.
The ruling Liberals grudgingly conceded some of their points, and the most problematic provisions were edited out when the bill came up for a second reading on March 12, 1916.
The only opposition MPs who backed this aspect of the reform were the Narrow Socialists, guided by unabashed atheism.
The Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was not officially consulted but took a stand against the planned reform. After its adoption, it rejected the new calendar as completely inappropriate for ecclesiastical use, retained the Julian calendar for the daily cycle of worship, and ordered dual dating in church documents (Decision No. 3551 of June 21/July 4, 1916).
This arrangement remained until December 20, 1968, when the Bulgarian Orthodox Church adopted the Revised Julian Calendar, using the Gregorian system for fixed feasts while keeping the Julian calendar for Easter and the related moveable observances. The reform was presented as reflecting a “common desire of both clergy and laity” (Holy Synod Epistle No. 5953 of July 18, 1968).
The Revised Julian Calendar was devised by Serbian astronomer and mathematician Milutin Milankovic in 1924 but, paradoxically, is not used by the Serbian Orthodox Church.
At present, 11 of the 15 recognized autocephalous (self-governing) Orthodox churches adhere to the Revised Julian Calendar.
Lasting Confusion
The calendar reform caused lasting inconsistencies in dates of observances and commemorations.
St George’s Day, which doubles as Day of Valour and of the Bulgarian Armed Forces, was first moved by the Church to April 23, but in 1977 was restored to May 6 so as not to fall before Easter Sunday. In 1916 the Feast of Sts Cyril and Methodius, established on May 11 (Old Style) in 1863, was transferred to May 24. After 1969 the Church reverted it to May 11, while the secular holiday remained on May 24 and continues to be celebrated as Day of the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius, of the Bulgarian Alphabet, Education and Culture, and of Slav Letters.
Historical anniversaries of events predating 1916 are also marked inconsistently. The deaths of national heroes Hristo Botev and Vasil Levski (May 20, 1876 and February 6, 1873, respectively) are commemorated on June 2 and February 19 – dates that mismatch their New Style equivalents. Similarly, the April Uprising against the Ottoman rule broke out on April 20 (Old Style), 1876 but is remembered on May 1 (wrong) or May 2 (right) (New Style). Russia and the Ottoman Empire signed the Preliminaries of Peace at San Stefano on February 19, 1878 (Old Style), but the anniversary of this event – which is also Bulgaria’s national day – is celebrated on the New Style date, March 3. On the other hand, tribute to the Unification of Bulgaria, which happened on September 6, 1885, is paid on that Old Style date and not on September 18 (New Style). This is also the case of Independence Day: September 22 (in 1908) rather than October 5.
Following is an English translation of a commentary on Bulgaria’s calendar reform by the Viennese newspaper Neue Freie Presse, quoted by Austria-Hungary’s Telegraphen-Korrespondenz Bureau and published by BTA (then a division of the Press Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Public Worship) in its Third News Bulletin of March 18, 1916:
“Vienna, same date [March 18/31, 1916] ([Telegraphen-]Korrespondenz Bureau) – The Neue Freie Presse writes: ‘The adoption of the Gregorian calendar by Bulgaria is an important indication of that country’s aspiration to align itself with the European states and to become fully integrated with the aspects of modern life. In this war [WW I] Bulgaria has performed a great deed: it has emancipated itself in every respect from the Russian influence so as to join the Central Powers sincerely. The calendar reform is not only a social event but, to a certain extent, also a political event.” April 14, 1916: Bulgaria Switched from Julian to Gregorian Calendar 110 Years Ago 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-04-14 05:34:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law