Q: New Year

[Girish Beeharry]

Hi,

On Thu, 18 Apr 1996 AmitaSarin at aol.com wrote:

> Now that we have decided that it is perfectly appropriate to discuss
> astrology/astronomy on Indology, I'd like to continue by restating what I
> have learned from the discussion thus far in simple language (in reln. to my
> question on festivals).
> Some festivals in India are based on the cycles of the moon and their dates
> change from year to year on the western calendar. 
>  Festivals that have a constant date are based on a sort of solar/sidereal
> system ie. the entry of the sun into certain stellar constellations.  Pongal,
> Lohri, Makara Sankranti etc. which are celebrated around the 13th-14th of
> January coincide with the sun's entry into the constellation of Capricorn.
>  Once upon a time this event coincided with the sun being over the tropic of
> Capricorn (winter solstice), but because of precession (slippage) this is no
> longer the case.  Currently, the winter solstice is on December 23rd, the
> shortest day of the year.  (However, according to at least one Hindu temple
> calendar that I have seen, Uttaraayana, or the sun's journey to the north,
> still begins on the 14th of January, which is apparently still considered the
> winter solstice according to some traditions).
> April 13th, when the sun enters the constellation of meshasamkranti, is
> celebrated as New Year by many communities all over India.
> March 21st, the spring equinox, when days and nights are equal, sort of
> coincides with Navroze, the Persian New Year.  However, from what I have
> understood from Mughal sources, this was also calculated according to the
> sidereal system, and was based on the time the sun entered the constellation
> of Aries.  As far as I know, no Hindu festivals are based on the spring
> equinox.

This is from 'The Astronomical Almanach for the year 1996':

In geocentric coordinates and in Universal Time Coordinates (formerly GMT):-


Equinoxes      20th March at 08h03m         22nd September at 18h00m
Solstices      21st June  at 02h24m         21st December  at 14h06m 

Bye,

Girish Beeharry