Many Happy New Years!

The calendar we use today is called the Gregorian calendar. It’s based on how long it takes Earth to complete one orbit around the sun. This is called a solar year, which lasts 365.24 days. This system has been in place since 1582, when Pope Gregory XIII introduced it to include leap years to make up for the extra quarter-days of Earth’s orbit. This change means Easter falls around the same time every year.

The Chinese Lunar New Year and the Jewish Rosh Hashanah are both determined by lunar calendars, which are based on the phases of the moon. Each holiday’s date changes year to year because lunar and Gregorian calendars don’t match up neatly. Many lunar calendars include extra months every couple of years to synchronize them with the solar year. That way, seasons take place in the same months each year.

The calendar we use today is called the Gregorian calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. The calendar is based on the solar year, or how long it takes Earth to make one trip around the sun. A solar year lasts 365.24 days, so most calendar years are 365 days long. Every four years, a “leap day” makes up for the extra quarter-days of Earth’s orbit.

But not everyone uses the Gregorian calendar to mark the new year. Some celebrations depend on lunar calendars instead. Lunar calendars are based on the phases of the moon. They don’t match up neatly with the Gregorian calendar.

The Chinese Lunar New Year and the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah are both on lunar calendars. Their dates on the Gregorian calendar change from year to year. However, many lunar calendars include extra months every couple of years. This realigns them with the solar year and keeps the holidays in the same season.

Other new year celebrations are tied to the seasons. In Southeast Asian countries like Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Cambodia, people welcome the new year with Water Festivals. These celebrations of the end of spring and the harvest get their name from the tradition of sprinkling water on revelers to cleanse them and grant them good wishes for the new year. It doesn’t hurt that the festivals take place during the hottest month in Southeast Asia, so getting doused with water is extra refreshing!   

Other new year celebrations are tied to the seasons. In countries like Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Cambodia, people welcome the new year with Water Festivals. These events celebrate the end of spring. People are sprinkled with water to grant them good wishes for the new year. The festivals take place during the hottest month in Southeast Asia. That makes getting sprayed with water extra refreshing!