Common year starting on Wednesday

Lore & Background

In the Gregorian calendar, common years starting on Wednesday repeat in a 400-year cycle of 20,871 weeks. They are one of three possible common year types for century years, occurring when the century year yields a remainder of 200 when divided by 400 (e.g., 1800, 2200). The 28-year sub-cycle applies only to century years divisible by 400, such as 1600, 2000, and 2400. In the Julian calendar, the 28-year cycle repeats every 700 years (25 cycles), with the year's position given by ((year + 8) mod 28) + 1. The Julian cycle places common years beginning on Wednesday in positions 2, 8, and 19.

Reader's Guide

This year type is significant for calendar planning and historical reference. It has exactly one Friday the 13th, occurring in June—a characteristic shared with leap years starting on Tuesday. The Gregorian distribution (10.75% of years) differs slightly from the Julian (about 10.71%). Notable holiday placements include Valentine's Day and Halloween on Friday, Christmas on Thursday, and U.S. Independence Day on Friday. In the British Isles, Saint George's Day falls on Wednesday, and Guy Fawkes Night also on Wednesday. In Canada, Victoria Day occurs on May 19, and Thanksgiving on October 13. The United States observes Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 20, President's Day on February 17, and Thanksgiving on November 27. The Feast of Christ the King falls on November 23 (or October 26 in older calendars).

Did You Know?

• Only one Friday the 13th occurs in this year type, in June.
• Century years beginning on Wednesday yield a remainder of 200 when divided by 400.
• In the Julian calendar, years 2, 8, and 19 of the 28-year cycle are common years starting on Wednesday.
• The most recent Gregorian common year starting on Wednesday was 2025; the next is 2031.