How many days, weeks and months are there in a quarter?

England has held the tradition of, so called, Quarter Days since the Middle Ages. Quarter Days were 4 important dates in a year falling more or less three months apart:

- 25^th March: Lady Day

- 24^th June: Midsummer Day

- 29^th September: Michaelmas

- 25^th December: Christmas

On these days the rent and other taxes were due (and sometimes they still are, even at present), debts were settled, new servants were hired etc. Also at schools and universities, Quarter Days traditionally marked the beginning of new terms.

1^st January, 1^st April, 1^st July and 1^st October are sometimes referred to as modern Quarter Days as they are the first days each of the four quarters, sometimes abbreviated as Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4.

How long is each of the quarters, exactly? Let’s have a look at the table below:

Did you know?

Traditional Scottish Quarter Days were related to Celtic rather than Christian holidays:

2^nd February: Candlemas
15^th May: Whitsunday
1^st August: Lammas
11^th November: Martinmas

What about you? Were you familiar with the idea of Quarter Days? Do you pay any taxes quarterly?