Punjabi calendar

Seal of Punjab

The Punjabi calendar is based on the Bikrami calendar which started in 57 B.C. with King Vikramaditya.[1] The calendar uses the solar aspect of the Bikrami calendar and has the first day of Vaisakh as the Punjabi new year which is celebrated as Vaisakhi.

The Punjabi months (solar)

The months of the Punjabi calendar are:

No. Name Punjabi Western Months
1 Vaisakh ਵੈਸਾਖ Mid April – Mid May
2 Jeth ਜੇਠ Mid May – Mid June
3 Harh ਹਾੜ Mid June – Mid July
4 Sawan ਸਾਵਣ Mid July – Mid August
5 Bhadon ਭਾਦੋਂ Mid August – Mid September
6 Assu ਅੱਸੂ Mid September – Mid October
7 Katak ਕੱਤਕ Mid October – Mid November
8 Maghar ਮੱਘਰ Mid November – Mid December
9 Poh ਪੋਹ Mid December – Mid January
10 Magh ਮਾਘ Mid January – Mid February
11 Phagun ਫੱਗਣ Mid February – Mid March
12 Chet ਚੇਤ Mid March – Mid April

Punjabi lunar calendar

The lunar aspect of the calendar begins with Chait. The first day of this month however is not the new lunar year as the lunar year begins on the day after the new moon in Chait. The months of the Punjabi lunar calendar start from the day after the full moon and end on the following full moon. Accordingly, the month of Chait is split between two years whereby the two weeks upto the new moon are counted in the preceding year and the two weeks from the day after the new moon fall into the next year. However, the Chait new year is not the official Punjabi new year but as the lunar year starts with Chait, Punjabi folk poetry, Barah Maha, begins the lunar year with this month. The lunar aspect of the Punjabi calendar determines many Punjabi festivals.

As an example, the lunar calendar for 2014/2015 is illustrated below:[2]

S.No. Lunar Month Name Date Season (official)[3] Season (Punjabi) Full moon New moon
1. Chetar 17 March 2014 Vasant ritu Basant 15 April 2014 30 March 2014
2. Visakh (Besakh) 16 April 2014 Vasant ritu Basant 14 May 2014 29 April 2014
3. Jeth 15 May 2014 Grishma ritu Rohee 13 June 2014 28 May 2014
4. Harh 14 June 2014 Grishma ritu Rohee 12 July 2014 27 June 2014
5. Sawan 13 July 2014 Varsha ritu Barsat 10 August 2014 26 July 2014
6. Bhadon (Bhadhray) 11 August 2014 Varsha ritu Barsat 8 September 2014 25 August 2014
7. Asooj (Assun) 10 September 2014 Sharad ritu Patjhar 8 October 2014 23 September 2014
8. Kattek (Kattun) 9 October 2014 Sharad ritu Patjarh 6 November 2014 23 October 2014
9. Maghar 7 November 2014 Hemant ritu Siaal 6 December 2014 22 November 2014
10. Poh 7 December 2014 Hemant ritu Siaal 4 January 2015 21 December 2014
11. Magh 6 January 2015 Shishir ritu Siaal 3 February 2015 20 January 2015
12. Phaggan 4 February 2015 Shishir ritu Siaal 5 March 2015 18 February 2015

Punjabi festivals

Festival Month Solar or Lunar month Date
Maghi/Makar Sankranti Magh Solar 1 Magh
Holika Dahan Phagan Lunar Phagan full moon
Holi Chait Lunar First day of Chait after Phagan full moon
Raksha Bandhan Sawan Lunar Sawan full moon
Vaisakhi Visakh Solar 1 Visakh
Lohri Poh Solar Last day of Poh
Teej/Teeyan Sawan Lunar Sawan month/3rd day from and including new moon (dark night)
Basant Festival Magh Lunar 5th day from and including new moon (dark night)

Punjabi folk religion: festivals

Festival Month Solar or Lunar month Date
Gugga Bhadon Lunar 9 Bhadon
Sanjhi Assu Lunar 1st day of Navratri

The days in Punjabi

No. Day in Western calendar Day in Punjabi
1. Monday Somvaar
2. Tuesday Mangalvar
3. Wednesday Budhvaar
4. Thursday Veervaar
5. Friday Shukarvaar
6. Saturday Sanicharvaar
7. Sunday Etvaar

See also

References

  1. ↑ Muhammad Aurang Zeb Mughal (2014). Calendars Tell History: Social Rhythm and Social Change in Rural Pakistan. History and Anthropology 25(5): 592-613.
  2. ↑ http://www.drikpanchang.com/vrats/purnimasidates.html?year=2015
  3. ↑ Faiths, Fairs and Festivals of India by C H Buck Rupa & CoISBN 81-7167-614-6