Many people are still relishing the celebrations that came with the end of the year 2017 and also ushered in the New Year, 2018.
However, many would find it interesting to know that there are several regions whose calendar differ from the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used system today, which puts its New Year on January 1.
Here are five different times on which New Year is celebrated based on other calendars used in other regions of the world.
1. The Islamic New Year
The Islamic New Year occurs on Muharram. It is based on the Islamic calendar which calculates time in terms of 12 lunar months amounting to about 354 days. Its New Year occurs about eleven days earlier each year in relation to the Gregorian. It also features months like Ramadan in which it is required for faithfuls to observe a 30-day fasting ritual.
2. Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is the main holiday of the year for more than one-quarter of the world’s population.
The Chinese calendar is based on exact astronomical observations of the longitude of the sun and the phases of the moon. The latest Chinese New Year, called the Year of the Dog, would be celebrated on February 16, 2018.
3.Jewish New Year
On the Jewish calendar, there are several different days to choose from, determined mainly according to religious importance.
The most important are:
1 Tishri: Rosh HaShanah. This day is a celebration of the creation of the world and marks the start of a new calendar year.
1 Nisan: New Year for Kings. This is also the start of the religious year. Nisan is considered the first month, although it occurs 6 or 7 months after the start of the calenda r year.
The current definition of the Jewish calendar is generally said to have been set down by the Sanhedrin president Hillel II in approximately C.E. 359. The original details of his calendar are, however, uncertain.
4. The Korean / Vietnamese New Year
The Korean New Year is a Seollal, or Lunar New Year’s Day. Although January 1 is, in fact, the first day of the year, Seollal, the first day of the lunar calendar, is more meaningful for Koreans. Celebration of the Lunar New Year is believed to have started to let in good luck and ward off bad spirits all throughout the year. With the old year out and a new one in, people gather at home and sit around with their families and relatives, catching up on what they have been doing.
The Vietnamese New Year is the Tết Nguyên Đán which most times is the same day as the Chinese New Year due to the Vietnamese using a lunar Calendar similar to the Chinese calendar.
5. Indian New Year
There is a diverse number of dates for the new year in India, most of them based on the Saka calendar. The Bali and Java people in the country celebrate their new year with religious observations in March.
