Bolivia to replace Gregorian with indigenous calendar

Bolivian President Evo Morales has proposed that Bolivia should abandon the Gregorian calendar to resume use of the ancestral calendar used by indigenous people, according to the BBC.

Speaking during the celebrations for the Aymara New Year, Morales said that the Gregorian calendar is untidy and the ancestral indigenous calendar is more practical. June 21, winter solstice in the southern hemisphere, is considered "day zero" for the indigenous calendar and marks the beginning of the New Year.

In 2010, Morales announced June 21 as an official holiday. In the indigenous calendar, a year has 13 months of 28 days each. He stressed the change of calendar as a step to revive and keep their identity. Morales comes from the Aymara indigenous group.