French
revolutionaries believed they did not simply topple a government, but
established a new social order founded on freedom and equality. The
year of the official proclamation of the Republic (1792) would become Year One.
In this secular calendar, the twelve months of the year were named after
natural elements, while each day was named for a seed, tree, flower, fruit,
animal, or tool, replacing the saints day names and Christian festivals. The
republican calendar was abandoned by Napoleon on January 1, 1806.
If I were living in the French Revolution I would have been born on 20 Pluviôse CCX.
Being Pluviôse
means being born in the Month of Rain.
In the
process of the French Revolution I would have been born during the National
Assembly abolished slavery in all French colonies, and proclaimed the equality
of all men, regardless of the color of their skin. Unfortunately, the
victory of the anti-slavery camp was relatively short-lived, and slavery was
restored in 1802.
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| This is the original calendar, written in 1792 |
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