Celebrating the Gregorian New Year
We all know that 2023 is coming upon us quickly. The Gregorian Calendar is what is used internationally and is the standard now. It is based on year 1 of Jesus’ birth by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582.
But many other religions have calendars that whole regions or religions follow: In the Islamic calendar, the start is counted from when the Prophet Muhammad traveled from Mecca to Medina to escape persecution. We are now in the year 1444 in the Islamic calendar.
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish calendar 5783 for 2022, supposedly commemorates the world’s creation, though don’t quote me on that. The Baha’i Faith’s calendar started when The Bab first declared Himself as a Messenger from God in 1844. We are now in the 178th year, according to the Baha’i Calendar, with the months named after attributes of God, mercy, justice, generosity, etc.
The Chinese New Year is closely tied to religious practices and beliefs from Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism but is now seen as a secular holiday. And the Hindu calendar is about 3000 years old. However, I couldn’t find anything definite about the origins.
I find this just another similarity between religions, counting the time from a certain event, year upon year upon year. The origins might have been lost in the older religions, but the counting, commemorating, and celebrating continue.
Let us bring others into our celebrating and commemorating, sharing our faith traditions with others, respecting those shared with us, and developing relationships with each other, erasing our prejudices against each other. Let the Gregorian New Year truly be a NEW YEAR of sharing, respecting, and rejoicing with each other!
Serene Erby
President