New Years Day
Well today is New Years Day (by the Gregorian Calendar). Fine. After all, most of all the business, technology, accounting, etc. runs on the Gregorian calendar. But to say “the world” celebrates New Year??
It is interesting to note how the Western world self-indulges so much as to think “the world” includes only them. Meanwhile, over at least 3 billion people (across India, China, South-East Asia, Africa, South America) were cozily sleeping in their beds, it bearing no significance to them whatsoever that the Gregorian calendar rolled over to 2007: no new years resolutions, no celebration, just another day.
The “Real” New Year’s Day
Most indigenous cultures around the world observe (and have observed for thousands of years), their new years day as the start of the vernal equinox. Even the early Roman Calendar prior to Christianity had their new years day in mid-March. However, the date of January 1 is not based on any astronomical significance, but religious – it is known as the “Feast of the Circumcision [of Christ]“, celebrated on January 1 (the eighth day counting from December 25th). And maybe people should call it just that whenever they celebrate :-).
For Hindus (over 1 billion people) the new years day is computed from the sidereal vernal equinox, at the point when the Sun enters the Aries zodiac sign. This date is the first day of the month of Chithirai (சித்திரை). This corresponds to mid-April of the Gregorian Calendar.
FYI, in the Hindu calendar, today (the 1st day of January, by Gregorian Calendar) is the 17th day of the month of Margazhi (மார்கழி).
Since the Hindu calendar is based on astronomical observation, there is a variation of +/- 2 days when translating to the corresponding Gregorian Calendar date. For example, the Hindu new year which starts on the first of Chithirai, this year translates to April 15; the next year it may translate to April 14. See Hindu calendar.
The Hindu new year has been observed for more than 5100 years.
That Said…
That said, it’s good to have an internationally agreed upon standard date for reseting the year, which for historical and financial reasons came to be January 1. Just as we have adopted English as the official language even though there are a number of far more refined and elegant languages.
But how does the media get away with saying “the world” celebrates new years day, when more than 1/2 the population doesn’t even recognize it as a significant date/event on their calendar? That’s my real question.
It’s fine if there is a logical or clear practical reason to throw away certain clear cut practices for newer ones, but to throw away old practices in the name of pop-culture – is not advancement, but a degeneration, as more often than not, it’s found to be that most old practices (especially the more ancient ones) where not out of some “pop-cultural fashion” of that time, but something that arose out of reason.
These seemingly small observances (Tamil New Years Day, Pongal, etc. form the scaffolding that keeps the culture intact, along with its vast reservoir of knowledge – which is still untapped: yoga, Ayurveda, medicinal plants, organic farming, and various spiritual traditions). For example, our centuries old practice of organic farming have been thrown away by three decades western/chemical agricultural practices — only to now have the “high priests of the west” tell indigenous cultures that they were right in the first place (but after their lands have been totally destroyed by chemicals). The same with yoga and alternative medicine, it went full circle, after being abused and neglected in its land of origin, it’s come back with a rubber stamp of approval by the high priests.
The same goes for the pop-cultural consumption of other holidays such as Valentines Day. I don’t believe in banning it, but it would be great to see an expropriation of the concept of Valentines Day into Hindu culture (via a celebration and commercialization of the love between Radha-Krishna into it for example). I think it will happen.