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South and Southeast Asian solar New Year
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<h2 id="origins">Origins</h2> <p>As most countries and cultures of South and Southeast Asia lie within the <a href="/facts/Greater_India/JEJkgGCf">Indian cultural sphere</a>, the development of their traditional calendars has been strongly influenced by the <a href="/facts/Hindu_calendar/3oYoSHLj">Hindu calendar</a>. As in many other calendars, the New Year was based on the northern hemisphere <a href="/facts/March_equinox/27hlaADj">vernal equinox</a> (the beginning of spring). However, the <a href="/facts/Hindu/D7TFhcg1">Hindu</a> calendar year was based on the <a href="/facts/Nirayana_system/PYyqGe6Y">Nirayana</a> or <a href="/facts/Sidereal_year/BoaRsTrp">sidereal year</a> (i.e. the movement of the sun relative to the stars), while the Western <a href="/facts/Gregorian_calendar/axJfTXV1">Gregorian calendar</a> is based on the <a href="/facts/Tropical_year/ASBLWNMY">tropical year</a> (the cycle of seasons). </p><p>In ancient times, the <a href="/facts/Surya/TjA6jwVa">sun's</a> entry into Aries coincided with the equinox. However, due to the earth's <a href="/facts/Axial_precession/NQ79x3m3">axial precession</a>, the sidereal year is slightly longer than the tropical year, causing the dates to gradually drift apart. Today, the sun's entry into Aries occurs around 18 April, according to astronomical definitions.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> Some traditional calendars are still marked by the sun's actual movements while others have since been fixed to the Gregorian calendar. </p><p>The sun's entry into Aries is known as <i><i>meṣa saṅkrānti</i></i> in <a href="/facts/Sanskrit/ychfjhlx">Sanskrit</a> and is observed as <a href="/facts/Mesha_Sankranti/Gn0hpqtX">Mesha Sankranti</a> and Songkran in India and Southeast Asian cultures.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="celebrations">Celebrations</h2> <p>The specific New Year observances include: </p> <ul><li>In South Asia: <ul><li><a href="/facts/Bohag_Bihu/kWeN9EH0">Bohag Bihu</a>: <a href="/facts/Assam/64Hs7TwB">Assam</a>, India</li> <li><a href="/facts/Cheti_Chand/Rrf5DUhS">Cheti Chand</a> : <a href="/facts/Sindhi_Hindus/zvwghbVk">Sindhi Hindus</a> in <a href="/facts/India/1kKHcnxM">India</a> and <a href="/facts/Pakistan/cbIsvJy1">Pakistan</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Bisket_Jatra/qvmxnTI7">Bisket Jatra</a> or <a href="/facts/Vikram_Samvat/EFUQ1eXK">Baisakh Ek Gatey</a>: <a href="/facts/Nepal/yWCzTBR2">Nepal</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Pohela_Baishakh/o6oF8jnh">Pohela Baishakh</a>: <a href="/facts/Bangladesh/NXk4f78Y">Bangladesh</a> and Indian state of <a href="/facts/West_Bengal/0B5bxvbW">West Bengal</a>, east and northeastern India.</li> <li><a href="/facts/Pana_Sankranti/trQ9SL0v">Pana Sankranti</a>: <a href="/facts/Odisha/ofAWpAgu">Odisha</a>, India</li> <li><a href="/facts/Sangken/AaKMJJbm">Sangken</a>: <a href="/facts/Khamti_people/FSdLHY6f">Khamti</a>, <a href="/facts/Jingpo_people/Kn3oNPSF">Singpho</a>, <a href="/facts/Khamyang_people/Bn3Aqmm6">Khamyang</a>, <a href="/facts/Tangsa_people/I3P6Nrky">Tangsa</a> in Arunachal Pradesh and <a href="/facts/Tai_Phake_people/XgR3Vq60">Tai Phake</a>, <a href="/facts/Tai_Aiton_people/VjkTGkCn">Tai Aiton</a>, and <a href="/facts/Turung_people/fSUo98Rh">Turung</a> in Assam</li> <li><a href="/facts/Bwisagu/yhPmkeDr">Bwisagu</a>: Bodoland region of Assam, India</li> <li><a href="/facts/Buisu/g20lGaWM">Buisu</a>: <a href="/facts/Tripura/zbaay5BU">Tripura</a>, India</li> <li><a href="/facts/Gudi_Padwa/5IHhL9sa">Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra & Goa, India</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Bizhu/L1TT89pr">Bizhu</a>: <a href="/facts/Chakma_people/Avhz0fxx">Chakmas</a> in Mizoram, Tripura, and Bangladesh</li> <li><a href="/facts/Ugadi/vQTcmbY8">Ugadi</a>: <a href="/facts/Andhra_Pradesh/d51Lb0kX">Andhra Pradesh</a>, <a href="/facts/Karnataka/NhJAc4t9">Karnataka</a>, <a href="/facts/Telangana/oE5VoLuj">Telangana</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Puthandu/a5SfU38C">Puthandu</a>: <a href="/facts/Tamil_Nadu/ouqcjUKE">Tamil Nadu</a> and <a href="/facts/Puducherry_(union_territory)/5CHgSWyT">Puducherry</a>, India, and northern and eastern regions of <a href="/facts/Sri_Lanka/VtTBmysE">Sri Lanka</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Vishu/2KjeaRWC">Vishu</a>: <a href="/facts/Kerala/DMP5u40q">Kerala</a>, India</li> <li><a href="/facts/Bisu_(festival)/IqEd5jq0">Bisu</a>: <a href="/facts/Tulu_Nadu/7olshHFj">Tulu Nadu</a> region of <a href="/facts/Karnataka/NhJAc4t9">Karnataka</a> and <a href="/facts/Kerala/DMP5u40q">Kerala</a>, India</li> <li><a href="/facts/Jur_Sital/laMPWes9">Jur Sital</a>: Mithila region of <a href="/facts/Bihar/T5Ga9JF8">Bihar</a>, India, and Nepal</li> <li><a href="/facts/Vaisakhi/Mo2kU50o">Vaisakhi</a>: <a href="/facts/Punjab%2c_India/bHPSN45a">Punjab</a>, north and central India; Nepalese New Year<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Sangrai_festival_in_Bangladesh/lyfsrClt">Sangrai</a>: <a href="/facts/Bangladesh/NXk4f78Y">Bangladesh</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Aluth_Avurudda/VXULJXE9">Aluth Avurudda</a>: Sri Lanka</li></ul></li> <li>In Southeast Asia: <ul><li><a href="/facts/Thingyan/xyglfU06">Thingyan</a>: <a href="/facts/Myanmar/zcqQH2oE">Myanmar</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Lao_New_Year/byYtFxXv">Pi Mai</a>: <a href="/facts/Laos/S0afugjX">Laos</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Songkran_(Thailand)/tfw3ES0w">Songkran</a>: <a href="/facts/Thailand/GCUnN4JK">Thailand</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Cambodian_New_Year/WQyShXxh">Choul Chnam Thmey or Moha Sangkranta</a> : <a href="/facts/Cambodia/t1wJd6GU">Cambodia</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Water-Sprinkling_Festival/dQvBVhqF">Water-Sprinkling Festival</a>: <a href="/facts/Dai_people/3vC2rCkw">Dais</a> in <a href="/facts/Xishuangbanna/1eFo32gY">Sipsongpanna</a> in Yunnan, China</li></ul></li></ul> <h2 id="gallery">Gallery</h2> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Indian_New_Year%2527s_days/291FUYaG">Indian New Year's days</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Water_Festival/6Ts9WXch">Water Festival</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Sidereal_and_tropical_astrology/vSpoUCnj">Sidereal and tropical astrology</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Robert Sewell; Śaṅkara Bālakr̥shṇa Dīkshita; Robert Schram (1996). Indian Calendar. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. pp. 29–35. ISBN 978-81-208-1207-9. <a href="978-81-208-1207-9" target="_blank">978-81-208-1207-9</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>McClure, Bruce (28 December 2016). "Sun in zodiac constellations, 2017". EarthSky. EarthSky Communications Inc. Retrieved 9 October 2017. <a href="http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/dates-of-suns-entry-into-each-constellation-of-the-zodiac" target="_blank">http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/dates-of-suns-entry-into-each-constellation-of-the-zodiac</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Robert Sewell; Śaṅkara Bālakr̥shṇa Dīkshita; Robert Schram (1996). Indian Calendar. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. pp. 29–35. ISBN 978-81-208-1207-9. <a href="978-81-208-1207-9" target="_blank">978-81-208-1207-9</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>International Commerce. Bureau of International Commerce. 1970. <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=cg8iAQAAMAAJ&q=Nepalese+New+Year+baisakhi&pg=PA13" target="_blank">https://books.google.com/books?id=cg8iAQAAMAAJ&q=Nepalese+New+Year+baisakhi&pg=PA13</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Fodor's; Staff, Fodor's Travel Publications, Inc (12 December 1983). India, Nepal and Sri Lanka, 1984. Fodor's Travel Publications. ISBN 978-0-679-01013-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) <a href="978-0-679-01013-5" target="_blank">978-0-679-01013-5</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>