The Sôgmô has announced that Kremlum Sandus will not take part in daylight savings time, instead remaining perpetually five hours behind the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC-5). The move comes the day Sandus’s neighbouring state, the United States’ State of Maryland, has begun its own daylight savings time, moving from Eastern Standard Time (EST) to Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
Due to the Gradient-Sovereign Condominium Theory, the decision effectively makes two operative time zones on the entire territory of the State of Sandus, though it only applies to Kremlum Sandus Province — the only territorial Sandum province. The theory recognises that the territory of Sandus exists as a gradient in terms of loci of sovereignty, which become less effective in extent of space, and as a condominium shared between the State of Sandus and the United States of America. Since the Sôgmô’s decision affects the administration of the State of Sandus, it can be effectively said that Sandus inhabits — during the Summer months — two time zones: UTC-5 or EST and UTC-4 or EDT.
The decision comes ahead of the official transition to the Summer months in Sandus, a significant time conceived as an annual period of independence and of affirmation of Sandum sovereignty. From 2011 to 2012, the Summer months became increasingly defined in Sandum culture as times of diplomacy and of independence while the Winter months became defined as times of isolation and of peaceful national construction. This division of the annual cycle was based off of Roman festivals: in Sandus, the period of openness and diplomacy are between the Festival of Fortuna Publica (5 April) and the Armilustrium (19 October), while the Romans had a half-month longer time period from the Quinquatria (19 March) to the Armilustrium (19 October); the opposite times, the Winter months, are times of peace. This Sandum view of the wheel of the year does not reflect the Roman view towards war and peace but, since there are no armed forces in Sandus, towards diplomacy and isolationism — though similar associations with aggression and peace are still applied in the Sandum context. The decision to keep EST throughout the entire duration of the year reflects, in many ways, the view towards independence and Sandum sovereignty during these critical months.
At the time this article was published on 13 March, for example, it was 22:15 in Kremlum Sandus (EST/UTC-5) and 23:15 in the United States (EDT/UTC-4).
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