Briefly about calendars and New Year celebrations

[Guest guest]

Light and Love

Happy New Year to all '' family. Let's Swami's grace inspires you

all! "People celebrate the advent of the New Year. That enthusiasm and

happiness are momentary. How can he expect to attain permanent happiness by

indulging in worldly deeds? He has to undertake sacred activities in order to

attain permanent happiness. Happiness results only from difficulties.Today,

man is changing, but not his mind. Years are rolling by, but his feelings have

not become pure. He will attain peace only when there is transformation in his

feelings. The Vedas declare: Parapakarah Punyaya Papaya Parapeedanam (One

attains merit by serving others and commits sin by hurting them). When your

feelings are sacred, you will get sacred results without your asking. Due to

the impact of the Kali Age, man's thought, words, and deeds are not in harmony

with each other. You may say or do anything, but the result you get depends on

your feelings. Destiny does not change with the change in year. Along with

the change in year, your actions too should change for the better. Only then

you will get good results." (Excerpts from the Divine Discourse by Bhagavan Sri

Sathya Sai Baba. New Year Sandesh. Prasanthi Nilayam on 01. January 2001).

Swami’s words are timeless be the New Year celebration today or thousands

years ago or through thousands years in the far future (if mankind will follow

the spiritual way of development and will avoid the process of global

self-destruction).

The celebration of the New Year is the oldest of all holidays. The New Year

celebration prompts people to look back over the past year and forward to what

the future may hold.

 

The Gregorian calendar has already been accepted internationally as the

standard calendar. Before Christ, the Greeks used to measure years in terms of

Olympiads. Nearly at the same time the various Hindu calendars evolved out

of the need to commemorate memorable incidents. One of them is the Vikram

Samvat, started by king Vikrama, which observes the New Year during Diwali, the

festival of lights. The Samvat was initiated on the day of Kartik Pratipada (the

day after full moon in the month of October) and year 2063 will begin on 22

October 2006 by this calendar. Legend has it that the business community of

Gujaratis and Marwaris attached great importance to this day because it follows

the worship of the Goddess of wealth Lakshmi. This calendar is widely followed

by the Hindus, while observing religious ceremonies and fixing auspicious

dates. Yugabdha is another ancient Hindu almanac scheme commenced in the

age of the Mahabharata. The present century is as the 52nd of the Kali Yuga,

and the New Year begins in March. (There is also another calendar concern to

King Shalivahana. By history the king once defeated his enemies in a fierce

battle, by bringing to life earthen creatures to wage the war. The Shalivahana

shaka commemorates this incident). The Vedic almanac, known as panchanga or

panjika, is almost always referred to by priests while fixing the time and date

for important occasions, from worships to weddings. Panchanga, a Sanskrit word,

means "five limbs," which refers to the fact that every panchangam includes the

five basic elements of tithi (lunar day), nakshatra (the constellation the moon

is aligned with), karana (half-day), yoga (a particular angle of the sun and

moon), and vara or vasara (solar weekday). The lunar day deals with the stages

of growth and decay, nakshatra is responsible for seizure of bad actions,

karana shows the results of the work, yoga forms the cure of ill health, and

vara gives the know-how of longer life. One of the oldest books of ancient

India, the panchanga dates back to around 1000 BC. It divides a solar year of

360 days into 12 lunar months of 27 days (according to the Taittiriya Samhita,

the book that deals with the study of stars and constellations) or 28 days

(based on Atharva Veda, the fourth Veda of Hindu scriptures). The panchanga

also follows the movements of the Sun - the Uttarayana, when the Sun navigates

the northern course, and the Dakshinayana, when it goes the southern way.

Earlier, there were two methods of calculation - the 'Chandramana' system based

on the lunar year and the 'Sauramana' system based on the solar year. Around

1181 BC, the two were merged. Based on some intriguingly complex

calculations, ancient Hindu scholars created this well-documented book that

relates human beings with the nature and natural phenomena. 2. In ancient

Babylon in the years around 2000 BC, the Babylonian New Year began with the

first New Moon (actually the first visible crescent) after the Vernal Equinox

(first day of spring). The Babylonian New Year celebration lasted for eleven

days. Each day had its own particular mode of celebration and modern New Year's

Eve festivities pale in comparison. The beginning of spring is a logical time

to start a New Year. After all, it is the season of rebirth, of planting new

crops, and of blossoming. (The 1-st January has no astronomical nor

agricultural significance. It is purely arbitrary). 3. When the Romans came

to power, they continued to observe the New Year in March, in the springtime.

However, the Roman calendar frequently changed based on the wishes of various

emperors, and it eventually became unsynchronized with the sun. In an effort to

restore a static calendar, the Roman senate declared January 1 as the official

beginning of the New Year in 153 B.C. Despite this law, emperors continued to

tamper with the calendar for over a hundred years. It wasn't until 46 B.C.,

when Roman Dictator Julius Caesar created a new calendar, that January 1 was

again recognized as the start of the New Year. At this point, the calendar had

been altered so much that Caesar was forced let the year drag on for 445 days

in order to synchronize the calendar with the sun again. As the Catholic Church

expanded, it was strongly opposed to the celebration of the Roman's New Year,

and denounced it as paganism. However, as Christianity became more widespread,

the religious observances of the Catholic Church began to coincide with many of

the pagan celebrations. On January 1, while the Romans celebrated the New Year,

the Catholic Church worshipped what is still observed by some denominations

today as the Feast of Christ's Circumcision. The Church continued to condemn

the celebration of the New Year throughout the Middle Ages. In 1582, Pope

Gregory XIII introduced a revision of Caesar's calendar, which a majority of

the world now follows. Therefore, it wasn't until the late 1500s that January 1

became the official holiday celebrated by Western nations. 4. One tradition,

which dates back to the ancient times of all nations, is the declaration of New

Year's resolutions. When people make resolutions, they choose something that

will improve their lives. The tradition of using a baby to signify the New Year

was begun in Greece around 600 BC. It was their tradition at that time to

celebrate their god of wine, Dionysus, by parading a baby in a basket,

representing the annual rebirth of that god as the spirit of fertility. Early

Egyptians also used a baby as a symbol of rebirth. Although the early

Christians denounced the practice as pagan, the popularity of the baby as a

symbol of rebirth forced the Church to reevaluate its position. The Church

finally allowed its members to celebrate the New Year with a baby, which was to

symbolize the birth of the baby Jesus. Traditionally, it was thought that

one could affect the luck they would have throughout the coming year by what

they did or ate on the first day of the year. For that reason, it has become

common for folks to celebrate the first few minutes of a brand New Year in the

company of family and friends. Parties often last into the middle of the night

after the ringing in of a New Year. It was once believed that the first visitor

on New Year's Day would bring either good luck or bad luck the rest of the year.

It was particularly lucky if that visitor happened to be a tall dark-haired man.

Traditional New Year foods are also thought to bring luck. Many cultures

believe that anything in the shape of a ring is good luck, because it

symbolizes "coming full circle," completing a year's cycle. For that reason,

the Dutch believe that eating donuts on New Year's Day will bring good fortune.

Many parts of the U.S. celebrate the New Year by consuming black-eyed peas.

Black-eyed peas and other legumes have been considered good luck in many

cultures. Cabbage is another "good luck" vegetable that is consumed on New

Year's Day by many. Cabbage leaves are also considered a sign of prosperity,

being representative of paper currency. In some regions, rice is a lucky food

that is eaten on New Year's Day. The song, "Auld Lang Syne," playing in the

background, is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every English-speaking

country in the world to bring in the New Year. At least partially written by

Robert Burns in the 1700's, it was first published in 1796 after Burns' death.

Early variations of the song were sung prior to 1700 and inspired Burns to

produce the modern rendition. An old Scotch tune, "Auld Lang Syne" literally

means "the good old days." 5. The Chinese New Year is a lunar holiday that

begins with the arrival of the second new moon following the winter solstice.

It usually starts between mid-January and mid-February and lasts for fifteen

days. As the New Year approaches, people clean their home to escape bad luck in

the upcoming year. Families gather for a feast on New Year's Eve, and stay up

late, believing that it will prolong the lives of their elders. The Chinese

people believe that evil spirits come around at New Year, so they let off

firecrackers to frighten them away. On New Year's Day, people dress in their

best clothes and present one another with small gifts. Chinese people all over

the world celebrate the first full moon with a colorful street procession,

called the Festival of Lanterns. The Festival of Lanterns is believed to light

the way for the New Year. 6. Celebration of the Japanese New Year occurs on

January 1, as with Western nations. However, the Japanese people also observe

some beliefs from their religion, called Shinto. For happiness and good luck,

Japanese people hang a rope of straw across the front of their homes. They

believe it keeps the evil spirits away. Japanese people begin to laugh the

moment the New Year begins, so they will have good luck the whole year. 7.

The Jewish New Year is called Rosh Hashanah, and falls in the seventh month, or

Tishri, of the Jewish calendar (September - October). Rosh Hashanah is a holy

time when people reflect on the things they have done wrong in the past, so

they can improve in the future. Celebration of the New Year begins at sunset

the day before, and religious services are held at synagogues in observation.

An instrument called a Shofar, made from a ram's horn, is traditionally played

and children are given new clothes to celebrate the New Year. In addition, New

Year loaves are baked and fruit is eaten to remind people of harvest time.

8. The Muslim New Year falls eleven days earlier than the previous year because

the Muslim calendar is based on the movements of the moon. In Iran, people

celebrate the New Year in March. As the New Year approaches, Muslims set grains

of wheat or barley in small dishes and sprinkle them with water. When the New

Year arrives, the growth of the sprouted grains reminds people of spring and a

new year of life. 9. The Vietnamese New Year is called Tet Nguyen Dan, or

Tet for short. The exact date changes from year to year, but it usually falls

between January 21 and February 19. A common Vietnamese belief is that the

first person to enter a house at New Year will bring either good or bad luck.

The Vietnamese also believe that there is a god in every home who travels to

heaven at the New Year. In heaven, this god will reveal how good or bad each

member of the family has been in the past year. Thus, the New Year is a time to

reflect on the past and improve in the future. A traditional Vietnamese belief

is that the God travels to heaven on the back of a fish, called a carp. New

Year (be it in any time on a calendar) is as somekind idol of the world

tradition when all human beings look on future with hope of good, prosperity

and happiness. “Let us live in harmony free from conflict. The Vedic hymn

stresses that unity can come only when people live together without discord.

Hence everyone should give no room for conflict or unrest but lead a life of

harmony and love with others. There is nothing greater than love in this world.

Everything has a price. The price to be paid for enduring happiness is Divine

Love. Without Love, no object can give you real happiness. Hence, the primary

wealth for man is Love. Everyone should seek to acquire this wealth. With this

wealth anyone can enjoy enduring bliss. The good and evil in the world can be

changed only by the change in men's actions. Transformation of society must

start with transformation of individuals." (Excerpts from the Divine Discourse

by Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Transform Yourselves and Transform the World.

Prasanthi Nilayam on 01. January 1998). PS: The text above is a compilation

from my own earlier mails (articles) to SaiDISC some years ago. Much thanks to

Sai brother, who has updated and edited these contributions from archives .

Namaste - Reet