The Sansculottides (; also Epagomènes; french: Sans-culottides, Sanculottides, jours complémentaires, jours épagomènes) are holidays following the last month of the year on the
French Republican calendar which was used following the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
from approximately 1793 to 1805.
The Sansculottides, named after the
sans-culottes
The (, 'without breeches') were the common people of the lower classes in late 18th-century France, a great many of whom became radical and militant partisans of the French Revolution in response to their poor quality of life under the . The ...
, append the twelve, 30-day months of the Republican Calendar with five complementary days in a
common year
A common year is a calendar year with 365 days, as distinguished from a leap year, which has 366. More generally, a common year is one without intercalation. The Gregorian calendar (like the earlier Julian calendar) employs both common years ...
or six complementary days in a
leap year
A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or bissextile year) is a calendar year that contains an additional day (or, in the case of a lunisolar calendar, a month) added to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical year or s ...
, so that the
calendar year
Generally speaking, a calendar year begins on the New Year's Day of the given calendar system and ends on the day before the following New Year's Day, and thus consists of a whole number of days. A year can also be measured by starting on any o ...
would approximately match the
tropical year
A tropical year or solar year (or tropical period) is the time that the Sun takes to return to the same position in the sky of a celestial body of the Solar System such as the Earth, completing a full cycle of seasons; for example, the time fro ...
. They follow the last day of
Fructidor
Fructidor () is the twelfth month in the French Republican Calendar. The month was named after the Latin word ''fructus'', which means "fruit".
Fructidor is the third month of the summer quarter (''mois d'été''). By the Gregorian calendar, Fr ...
, the last month of the year, and precede the first day of
Vendémiaire
Vendémiaire () was the first month in the French Republican calendar. The month was named after the Occitan word ''vendemiaire'' (grape harvester).
Vendémiaire was the first month of the autumn quarter (''mois d'automne''). It started on the ...
.
Each of the Sansculottides were assigned as one of the
ten days of the week. Even though the five or six days were less than a full week, the following 1 Vendémiaire would still be a ''primidi'', skipping four or five days of the week. The Sansculottides belong to the summer quarter. They begin on 17 or 18 September and approximately end on the
autumn equinox Autumnal equinox or variations, may refer to:
* September equinox, the autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere
* March equinox, the autumnal equinox in the Southern Hemisphere
Other uses
* Autumnal Equinox Day (Japanese: 秋分の日, ''Shūbu ...
, on 22 or 23 September on the
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years dif ...
.
History
In the
decree
A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used for ...
of 5 October 1793 (''le 14 du 1er mois de l'an II''; later: ''le 14 Vendémiaire de l'an II'') by the
National Convention
The National Convention (french: link=no, Convention nationale) was the parliament of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for the rest of its existence during the French Revolution, following the two-year National ...
, the days following the last month of the year were named ''jours complémentaires'' and numbered serially. Only the leap day (''jour intercalaire'') received a name:
*1. ''premier jour complémentaire'' — First Complementary Day
*2. ''second jour complémentaire'' — Second Complementary Day
*3. ''troisième jour complémentaire'' — Third Complementary Day
*4. ''quatrième jour complémentaire'' — Fourth Complementary Day
*5. ''cinquième jour complémentaire'' — Fifth Complementary Day
*6. ''jour de la Révolution'' — Revolution Day
The other days, decades, and months were also serially numbered.
On 24 October (''le 3 du 2e mois''; later: ''le 3 Brumaire'') of the same year, the poet Philippe-François-Nazaire Fabre, known as
Fabre d'Églantine
Philippe François Nazaire Fabre d'Églantine (, 28 July 1750 – 5 April 1794), commonly known as Fabre d'Églantine, was a French actor, dramatist, poet, and politician of the French Revolution.
He is best known for having invented the names of ...
, made public his dislike of this naming convention (''"le premier jour de la première décade du premier mois de la première année"''). He suggested proper names for the months, the days of the months, and the days of the decades. For the ''jours complémentaires'', he introduced the name ''Sansculottides''. The individual days should have the following names:
*1. ''fête du génie'' — Celebration of Talent
*2. ''fête du travail'' — Celebration of Labour
*3. ''fête des actions'' — Celebration of Policy
*4. ''fête des récompenses'' — Celebration of Honors
*5. ''fête de l’opinion'' — Celebration of Convictions
*6. ''la Sans-culottide / la Sanculottide'' — (rough meaning:) "Day of the Revolutionary"
According to the proposal by Fabre d'Églantine:
:The ''fête du génie'' should be dedicated to the most precious and, for the nation, most useful achievements of the human mind accomplished in the past year.
:The ''fête du travail'' should be focused on industry, physical labour, and production of useful things.
:On the ''fête des actions'', good and beneficial policies should be praised that have been helpful, even if only of benefit to individuals rather than to the nation.
:On the ''fête des récompenses'', people should be rewarded for the merits exemplifying the previous three days' mottos.
:On the ''fête de l’opinion'', people should criticise the administration, without fear of punishment, in the form of songs, caricatures, and ironic and sarcastic speeches. By this, d'Églantine meant: ''"I dare to say that this one day will cause public servants to do their duty more than even the laws of a
Draco
Draco is the Latin word for serpent or dragon.
Draco or Drako may also refer to:
People
* Draco (lawgiver) (from Greek: Δράκων; 7th century BC), the first lawgiver of ancient Athens, Greece, from whom the term ''draconian'' is derived
* D ...
ever could."''
:The ''Sanculottide'', celebrated in leap years, should be the celebration of national unity. Representatives from all parts of the country should meet each other in the capital and celebrate together.
On 24 November 1793 these proposals were accepted with slight modifications. It was decided that the name should be written ''fêtes Sansculotides'' (one 't'). The alternate spellings ''Sans-culotides'' and ''Sans-culottides'' were also used. The ''fête des actions'' was shifted to the first place and named ''fête de la vertu''. The ''fête des récompenses'' went to the last place and the leap year day regained its old name:
*1. ''fête de la vertu'' — Celebration of Virtue
*2. ''fête du génie'' — Celebration of Talent
*3. ''fête du travail'' — Celebration of Labour
*4. ''fête de l’opinion'' — Celebration of Convictions
*5. ''fête des récompenses'' — Celebration of Honors
*6. ''fête de la Révolution'' — Celebration of the Revolution
On 24 August 1795 (''le 7 Fructidor de l'an III''), the Sansculottides were renamed again to ''jours complémentaires'' (Complementary Days). The ''fête du travail'' was also known as the ''fête du labour''. The ''fête de l'opinion'' was also termed ''fête de l'option'' (Celebration of Choice) or ''fête de la raison'' (Celebration of Reason).
The Basque translation of the calendar for 1799
Revolución Francesa (La Revolución en el País Vasco continental): El Euskera en la Revolución
', by Eugéne Goyenetche, in the Spanish-language Auñamendi Encyclopedia. It references ''Franciaco Republicaren Çaspigarren Ourtheco Qhoundaderra'' ("The alendar?of the year VII of the Republic of France") simply names the ''bethagail-egunak'' as ''bethagail-legun'', ''bethagail-bigun'',... ("complementary
primidi", "complementary
duodi",...).
Conversion table
References
External links
Summer Quarter of Year II (facsimile)*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060325003730/http://www.royet.org/nea1789-1794/archives/science-art-culture/sciences_fabre_calendrier_1793_10_24.htm Fabre d’Églantine: Rapport sur le calendrier révolutionnaire (French)]
{{Revolutionary calendar months
French Republican calendar