Guest guest Posted November 22, 2004 Report Share Posted November 22, 2004 This post is in reply to Somasekhar's post about Hindu calendar. The Hindu calendar is a mix of both lunar and solar calendars. The religious occasions fall on lunar days also called tithi. If we strictly followed lunar cycles then the holidays would have changed seasons. So, every few years one month is designated as a " Mal Maas " when no religious celebration takes place. This brings the lunar calendar back to match the seasons which depend on the sun. That is why Durga Puja may fall on anytime between late September to late October, but always in the autumn season. Shankarthi follows the solar calendar and so will fall around the same time in the Gregorian calendar. The Roman calendar in vogue in Europe at the time of Christ was the Julian calendar. Julius Caesar is credited with it and so the name. He first conceived of the idea of a leap year. There were some flaws in it and that was corrected by Pope Gregory and the current calendar followed the world over is the Gregorian calendar. Most of the Christian holidays were made to match pagan holidays of that time. Christmas matches with the winter solstice. It also coincides with the Roman festival of Saturnalia. Easter coincides with the spring festival of fertility. It also coincides with the Hindu Basant festival. Somdev Roy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 26, 2004 Report Share Posted November 26, 2004 You are absolutely right. In fact I read somewhere taht before finalizing his calendar Pope Gregory and his team of astronomers and mathematicians studied the solar -lunar calender of India to see how to avoid say Christmas falling in June or Easter in December. Joyoti --- somdev48858 <somdev48858 schrieb: > > > > This post is in reply to Somasekhar's post about > Hindu calendar. > > The Hindu calendar is a mix of both lunar and solar > calendars. The > religious occasions fall on lunar days also called > tithi. > If we strictly followed lunar cycles then the > holidays would have > changed seasons. So, every few years one month is > designated as > a " Mal Maas " when no religious celebration takes > place. This brings > the lunar calendar back to match the seasons which > depend on the sun. > That is why Durga Puja may fall on anytime between > late September to > late October, but always in the autumn season. > Shankarthi follows the solar calendar and so will > fall around the > same time in the Gregorian calendar. > The Roman calendar in vogue in Europe at the time of > Christ was the > Julian calendar. Julius Caesar is credited with it > and so the name. > He first conceived of the idea of a leap year. There > were some flaws > in it and that was corrected by Pope Gregory and the > current calendar > followed the world over is the Gregorian calendar. > Most of the Christian holidays were made to match > pagan holidays of > that time. Christmas matches with the winter > solstice. It also > coincides with the Roman festival of Saturnalia. > Easter coincides > with the spring festival of fertility. It also > coincides with the > Hindu Basant festival. > Somdev Roy > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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