NAME

Date::Christmas - Calculates the day of the week Christmas falls upon given the year.

SYNOPSIS

• Getting the Christmas Day of the Week in English.

   use Date::Christmas qw(christmasday);
  
   my $year = "2010"; 
   my $dow = christmasday $year;
   print "Christmas day falls on $dow in the year $year\n";
  
   -or-
  
   perl -MDate::Christmas -le 'print christmasday (2010)';

• Getting the Christmas Day of the Week in any other language.

  use Date::Christmas qw(christmasday);
  
  my $year = 2004;
  $xmasdow = christmasday ($year, qw:sunnuntai maanantai tiistai keskiviikko torstai perjantai lauantai:);
  print "Christmas is on $xmasdow in the year $year\n";
  
  -or-
  
  perl -MDate::Christmas -le 'print christmasday (2000, qw:Sonntag Montag Dienstag Mittwoche Donnerstag Freitag Sonnabend:)'

DESCRIPTION

Date::Christmas calculates the day of the week that Christmas will fall upon in any given year after the year 1600AD, including leap years when using a Gregorian Calendar. The algorithm is based on "The Formula for Christmas Day" on pages 261-262 in the book _The Physics of Christmas_ by Roger Highfield.

"Other prognostications, not only of the weather, were based on the day of the week on which Christmas fell:

Sunday
If the natiuity of our Lorde come on Sunday, Winter shall 
be good, the spring windy, sweet & hot, Vintage flourishing,
Oxen and Sheepe multiplied: Hony & milke plentifull, peace 
and accord in the Land, yea, all the Sundayes in the yeere 
following profitable: They that bee borne shall be strong, 
great and shining: and he that flieth shall be found.

Monday
If it fall on the Monday, Winter shall bee indifferent, 
Sommer dry, or clean contrary, so that if it be rainy and 
tempestuous, vintage shall be doubtfull; in each Munday of 
the said yeere, to enterprise any thing is shall bee prosperous
and sstrong. Who that flieth shall soone be found: theft done 
shall be proued, and hee that falleth into his bed, soone recouer.

Tuesday
If it come on the Tuesday, Winter shall be good, the spring 
windy, Summer fruitfull, Vintage laboursome, Weomen die and 
shippes perish on the Seas. In each Tuesday of this same yeere,
to beginne a worke, it will prosper: hee that is borne shall be 
strong and couteous, dreames pertaine to age. Hee that flieth 
shall soone bee found; theft done shall be proued.

Wednesday
If it come on the Wednesday, Winter shall be sharpe and hard, 
the Spring windy and euill, summer good, Vintage plentifull, 
good wit easily found, young men die, hony sparing, men desire
to trauell, and ship-men saile with great hazard that yeere. 
In each Wednesday to begin a worke is good.

Thursday
If it come on the Thursday, Winter shall bee good, the Spring 
windy, Summer fruitfull, Vintage plentifull. Kings and Princes 
in hazard. And in each Thursday to beginne a new worke, 
prosperous. Hee that is borne shall be of faire speech and 
worshipfull, hee that flieth shall soone be found: theft done 
by weomen shall be proued. Hee that falleth in his bed shall
soone recouer.

Friday
If it come on the Friday, winter shall be maruellous, the Spring
windy and good, Summer dry, Vintage plenteous: There shall be 
trouble of the aire, Sheepe and Bees perish, Oates deare. In each
Friday to begin a worke it shall prosper; hee that is borne shall 
be profitabe and lecherous. Hee that flieth shall soone be found;
theft done by a Childe shall bee proued.

Saturday
If it come on the Saturday, Winter shall be dark, snow great, 
fruit plentious, the spring windy, Summer euill, Vintage sparing 
in many places: Oates shall be deare, Men waxe sicke, and Bees die.
In no Saturday to begin a worke shall be good, except in the course 
of the Moone alter it: Theft done shall be found, hee that flieth 
shall turne againe to his owne; those that are sicke, shall long 
waile, and vnneath they shall escape death. 
'Godfridus', The knowledge of things vnknowne, 1-3"
[The Oxford Companion to the Year, pp. 516-517.]

Happy Holidays
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+ 
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BOAS FESTAS 
JOYEUX NOEL 
VESELE VANOCE 
MELE KALIKIMAKA 
NODLAG SONA DHUIT 
BLWYDDYN NEWYDD DDA 
GOD JUL 
BUON ANNO 
FELIZ NATAL 
HYVAA JOULUA
FELIZ NAVIDAD 
MERRY CHRISTMAS 
KALA CHRISTOUGENA 
VROLIJK KERSTFEEST 
FROHLICHE WEIHNACHTEN 
BUON NATALE-GODT NYTAR 
HUAN YING SHENG TAN CHIEH 
WESOLYCH SWIAT-SRETAN BOZIC 
MOADIM LESIMH0-LINKSMU KALEDU 
HAUSKAA JOULU0-AID SAID MOUBARK 
'N PRETTIG KERSTMIS 
ONNZLLISTA UUTTA VUOTTA 
Z ROZHDESTYOM KHRYSTOVYM 
ADOLIG LLAWEN-GOTT NYTTSAR 
FELIC NADAL-GOJAN KRISTNASKON 
S NOVYM GODOM-FELIZ ANO NUEVO 
GLEDILEG JOL-NOELINIZ KUTLU OLSUM 
EEN GELUKKIG NIEUWJAAR-SRETAN BOSIC 
KRIHSTLINDJA GEZUAR-KALA CHRISTOUGENA 
SELAMAT HARI NATAL - LAHNINGU NAJU METU 
SARBATORI FERICITE-BUON ANNO
ZORIONEKO GABON-HRISTOS SE RODI 
BOLDOG KARACSONNY-VESELE VIANOCE 
MERRY CHRISTMAS - - HAPPY NEW YEAR 
ROOMSAID JOULU PUHI -KUNG HO SHENG TEN 
FELICES PASUAS-EIN GLUCKICHES NEWJAHR 
PRIECIGUSZIEMAN SVETKUS SARBATORI VESLLE 
BONNE ANNEBLWYDDYN NEWYDD DDADRFELIZ NATAL 
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AUTHOR

HFB, hfb@cpan.org

SEE ALSO

perl(1), Date::Calc, Date::Manip.