Wooden block indicating the turn of the year
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For many people the New Year is just around the corner… but for others not.
While many people celebrate the arrival of 2024, there are other calendars around the world that show a completely different year.
The fact is that we are entering the year 2024 according to the Gregorian calendar, which is adopted in practice in most countries.
This calendar, based on the solar cycle, was introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory the 13th.
And it emerged as a reformulation of the Julian calendar, created by Roman leader Julius Caesar, which corresponded to the Earth's rotation around the sun, but was not as precise.
Until then, many Christian countries celebrated the New Year on March 25, the date on which the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary, but Pope Gregory reinstated January 1 as the official start of the year.
However, there are other calendars in use around the world.
Jewish calendar
It is a Jewish custom to dip a piece of fruit in honey on New Year's Day.
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According to the Jewish calendar we are in the year 5784.
And according to him, the New Year is celebrated at the end of September, in the socalled month of Tishrei.
In fact, Judaism has four different calendars, including one dedicated to trees.
Tishrei refers to the anniversary of the creation of the universe.
It is a lunisolar calendar, which means it takes into account the cycles of the sun and moon.
For a sweet New Year, it is customary to dip a piece of fruit in honey.
But it is also a time for repentance and reflection.
One of the rituals, called Tashlich, involves throwing bread crumbs into running water to symbolize cleansing from sins.
Islamic calendar
The Islamic calendar is based on the cycles of the moon
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According to the Islamic or Hegyrian calendar, we are in the year 1445, which began in August.
The Islamic calendar dates back to the time when the Prophet Mohammed fled from Mecca to Medina.
It is a calendar based on the cycles of the moon. That is why the dates of all Islamic rituals vary.
Although people celebrate the Hegyrian New Year, the Gregorian calendar is the official calendar in most Arab countries.
Chinese calendar
Like the Jewish calendar, the traditional Chinese calendar is lunisolar. And Chinese New Year falls on a different date every year.
For example, in 2024 it will be celebrated on February 10th.
Each year is named after one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, which play an important role in the country's culture.
Next year will be the Year of the Dragon.
Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival.
It is a weeklong holiday whose origins date back to ancient times.
Chinese calendar image
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South Korea
In many Asian countries, such as South Korea, the Lunar New Year is celebrated.
South Koreans celebrate New Year twice.
The first day of the traditional or “old” Korean lunar calendar is called Seollal.
Just like in China, it is one of the biggest holidays of the year and is celebrated on February 10th.
South Koreans also celebrate January 1st as a “new” New Year according to the Gregorian calendar, which was introduced in Korea at the end of the 19th century.
But its establishment is more of a symbolic and administrative matter.
North Korea
In North Korea, however, none of them are considered important holidays.
They put the New Year in the background compared to socialist holidays.
India
In India, on the other hand, there are significantly more than two dates.
Hindus in different parts of the country celebrate the New Year according to their own calendars which may follow the solar, lunar or both cycles.
Celebrated primarily in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Tamil New Year usually falls on April 14.
And it usually takes place just before or on the same date as the Bengali, Burmese and Sinhala New Years.
The most common Tamil calendar covers 60year cycles.
Persian
The Persian New Year is celebrated on the spring equinox
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For Iranians, the year is 1402.
The Persian New Year is celebrated on the spring equinox, more specifically on the first day of the season, when sunlight falls equally on both hemispheres, so that days and nights are of equal length (12 hours each). .
The calendar is based on the movement of the Earth around the sun.
And New Year or Nowruz, which means new day in Persian, usually falls around March 20th.
Nowruz has been celebrated not only by Iranians but also by other communities for more than three thousand years.
To celebrate, they prepare a table decorated with seven symbolic objects and, out of respect, the young people visit the oldest member of the family.
*This report was originally published on January 1, 2020.
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