The Gregorian calendar is a scam, and is essentially an act of colonizing time, it makes no sense from any angle – especially when the new year starts.
In the middle of winter?
The new year should start on a day that makes more sense, like the first day of spring, similar to how Afghans and Persians do it on Nowruz.
Nowruz translates to, “new day,” in Farsi. It is both the Persian and Afghan New Year, celebrated on the first day of spring.
The practice is based on ancient Zoroastrian customs, according to a Monday NPR article, “Under Zoroastrian tradition, Nowruz marked the return of a spirit that had been banished underground during the colder winter months, according to UNESCO. The holiday may also be related to Jamshid, a Persian king of mythology.”
The Persian/Afghan calendar is known as the “Hijri Shamsi,” or solar calendar, whereas the Arab/Muslim calendar is known as the “Hijri Qamari,” or lunar calendar.
Hijri (or hijra) is defined as “emigration,” which means that both calendars started when the Prophet Muhammad migrated from Mecca to Medina, according to an article by the Dari Language Blog.
The difference lies in the calculation, as the names imply. The Solar Hijri calendar is more consistent, whereas lunar calculations shift by a few weeks every year.
The Solar Hijri calendar makes the most sense and our society should stick to it, as it aligns with a universal and secular method of calculation, and even lines up perfectly with our seasons.
On the other hand, the Islamic or Lunar Hijri calendar is harder to calculate on the solar based Gregorian calendar, which is what we use today. The Gregorian calendar makes just as much sense as a political border; it doesn’t. It’s a manmade construct that was created to benefit one specific group of people.
For instance, this year, the first day of the holy month of Ramadan in the Lunar Hijri calendar is on the 22 or 23 of March, based on what phase of the moon is visible.
The Solar Hijri calendar aligns perfectly with the Zodiac calendar and the start of the seasons. An article on Lexigo, a translation services provider, said that the Solar Hijri calendar is based on the astronomical observations on the sun, making it the most accurate calendar in the world.
The first day of spring marks the start of the month of Hamal, which also aligns with the Astrological calendar. Each month in Dari, the Afghan dialect of Farsi, is named after the corresponding sign so Aries would be “Hamal,” named after the Aries constellation.
Although one may assume that the names of the Persian months are of Farsi origin, they’re actually not.
The Farsi dialect in Iran or Persia is believed to have derived from Ancient Avestan/Zoroastrian languages.
On the other hand, the months in Dari are all derived from their corresponding Arabic constellations, with the exception of Virgo, according to a May 17, 2021 article by the Arabic Language Blog.
In Arabic, the constellation of Virgo is called “Al-Adhra,” according to the same article, whereas in Dari, it’s called “Sunbula.”
If this calendar system is so efficient, universal (pun intended, because it’s literally in the universe) and so natural that it perfectly aligns with solstices and equinoxes, then why don’t we all use it?
I mean who woke up one day and decided that the new year begins in the middle of winter?
That person is none other than Pope Gregory XIII.
The Gregorian calendar was calculated at the time of Jesus’s birth, and because of the spread of Catholicism, it eventually expanded and became the “universal” calendar, according to a 2023 Britannica article.
This calendar replaced the Julian calendar, which was implemented by Julius Caesar, in which the calculation of the time it takes the Earth to orbit around the sun was inaccurate.
Each month is named after a combination of three main elements: “Greek and Roman deities, Roman rulers and numbers,” according to a 2021 article by the Farmer’s Almanac, a publication on remedies, household tips and more.
As for why the new year starts in the middle of winter, it beats me. If you try to look into it like I did, you will end up down a three-hour research rabbithole with nothing but a stress induced migraine and severe disdain for the ancient Romans.
