Ring out the Old, ring in the New—Welcoming the 2025 & many World Calendars
Dr. A. K. Merchant*
Living under the specter of mass extinction, except for the human beings no other species, perhaps has the awareness of what is happening. Why, because one of the distinguishing attributes humans possess is understanding “time”. Most ordinary folks are governed by the calendar and time they reckon by their watch. With the approach of a new Gregorian year let’s look at the world of calendars. Gregorian or English calendar was born after the Julian calendar of Julius Caesar centered upon Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) which is counted from midnight. On the other hand, there is the Kalyuga calendar of India which is in its 5124 year as per the calculations of Aryabhata, the famous Indian astronomer.
In his book: The Argumentative Indian Prof. Amartya Sen has written about Vikram Samvat calendar with zero point of 57 years prior to the Gregorian calendar; and the Saka calendar with zero point of 78 years prior to the English calendar of today. Besides these, there is the Buddha Nirvana calendar, the Mahavira Nirvana calendar, the Bengali San or Bangabda 1431 find their origin in India having Ujjain as the base—five and half hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time denoting the Indian Standard Time.
As per the many calendars of India, the commencement of the new year generally has a beginning in the month of April approximately in the middle of the month namely Nanak Samvat (555), Bengali Samvat (1431), Shankaracharya Samvat (2303), Mahavira Samvat, Buddha Samvat (2598), Krishna Samvat (5250). Parallel to these the Europeans followed the Roman calendar, however, with the spread of Christianity Pope Gregory XIII merged the Old and New Style calendars that were used in different parts of Europe and created what is today the Gregorian calendar. Nevertheless, millions of peoples belonging to different cultures and religious communities continue to observe their new year or holy days according to their own respective calendars such as the Hijri calendar of the Muslims, the Parsi-Zoroastrians, the Chinese, inter alia.
Although the Gregorian calendar has become dominant all over the world the United Nations created a World Calendar but due to lack of universal acceptance it remains on paper. Despite the grave uncertainty that surrounds present-day humanity, let us positively look forward to better times because there are unprecedented opportunities yet available to participate in the writing of the planet’s future. In this context the Bahá’i Faith offers a new calendar which is mathematically perfect for the measurement of time as we normally compute, compelling humankind to accept its interdependence and wholeness as one planet, one people. Here is a brief description of the Bahá’i calendar. It consists of 19 months of 19 days each, with the addition of intercalary days known as Ayyám-i-Há. The number of intercalary days varies according to the timing of the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere in successive years.
The Báb, prophet-herald, named each of the 19 months, after certain attributes of God—Splendour, Glory, Beauty, Grandeur, Light, Mercy, Words, Perfection, Names, Might, Will, Knowledge, Power, Speech, Questions, Honour, Sovereignty, Dominion, Loftiness. Bahá’u’lláh, founder-prophet, added the intercalary days between the 18th and 19th months and promulgated the new calendar through the revelation of his Book of Laws, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. The Bahá’í New Year (Naw-Rúz) is astronomically fixed, coinciding with the vernal equinox. Holy Days are fixed within the solar calendar, except for the observance of the Festival of the Twin Birthdays—the Birth of the Báb and the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh—which moves year to year, taking place on the first and the second day following the occurrence of the eighth new moon after Naw-Rúz.
According to the Bahá’í calendar, a day is the period from sunset to sunset; consequently, the day on which a 19-Day Feast, Holy Day, or other significant dates are observed begins at sunset on the eve of each corresponding Gregorian calendar date. For example, if Naw-Rúz falls on 21 March, it is marked from sunset on 20 March to sunset on 21 March.
Many people are realizing the wisdom of why the world needs to adopt a new calendar. As we enter the “Age of Aquarius”. Because the former and even the current times are dominated by male characteristics, leading to aggression and obsession with power, but the new age concept is based on a balance of male and female qualities, leading to a more complete and rounded human character and civilization. Bahá’i believe that as the former age passes away, and there is a rise in the spiritual consciousness, the dead-weight of tradition would give way to greater self-development as opposed to outward ritual. This would lead to an organic union of all human cultures; every nation, every ethnic group, every religious community, would contribute to the harmonious functioning of the world. All of humanity would realize the necessity of working together in unity and release the positive powers that can transform the world. In a message dated 10 July 2014 regarding the universal implementation of the Bahá’i calendar, the Universal House of Justice states: “The adoption of a new calendar in each dispensation is a symbol of the power of Divine Revelation to reshape human perception of material, social, and spiritual reality. Through it, sacred moments are distinguished, humanity’s place in time and space reimagined, and the rhythm of life recast.”
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*The author is a social worker, independent researcher, & member of the Bahá’i Community of India.