the_date() WordPress Function

function the_date( $format = '', $before = '', $after = '', $echo = true ) {
	global $currentday, $previousday;

	$the_date = '';

	if ( is_new_day() ) {
		$the_date    = $before . get_the_date( $format ) . $after;
		$previousday = $currentday;
	}

	/**
	 * Filters the date a post was published for display.
	 *
	 * @since 0.71
	 *
	 * @param string $the_date The formatted date string.
	 * @param string $format   PHP date format.
	 * @param string $before   HTML output before the date.
	 * @param string $after    HTML output after the date.
	 */
	$the_date = apply_filters( 'the_date', $the_date, $format, $before, $after );

	if ( $echo ) {
		echo $the_date;
	} else {
		return $the_date;
	}
}
Uses	Description
wp-includes/general-template.php:get_the_date()	Retrieve the date on which the post was written.
wp-includes/general-template.php:the_date	Filters the date a post was published for display.
wp-includes/functions.php:is_new_day()	Determines whether the publish date of the current post in the loop is different from the publish date of the previous post in the loop.
wp-includes/plugin.php:apply_filters()	Calls the callback functions that have been added to a filter hook.