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Saka Calendar and Buddhist Calendar
By admin | December 24, 2008
Saka calendar began in year 78 CE when the Ujjayini city (now Malwa in India) seized by the people of Saka (Scythia) under the leadership of Emperor Kaniska from the people of Satavahana. New Year occurs in Minasamkranti (sun under the Pisces constellation) or the early spring. Name of the months are Caitra, Waisaka, Jyestha, Asadha, Srawana, Bhadrawada, Aswina (Asuji), Kartika, Margasira, Posya, Magha, Phalguna. To fit back with the sun’s position, month of Srawana and Asadha is repeated every three years and they are named Dwitiya Asadha and Dwitiya Srawana.
The beginning of each month is when the moon is in conjunction, so the Saka calendar dates are generally a day before the date of Hijriyya calendar, which preceded by the emergence of the moon. Each month is divided into two parts, namely suklapaksa (half light, from conjunction until the full moon) and kresnapaksa (half dark, from the full moon until after its conjunction). Each part has a total of 15 or 14 days (tithi). So the Saka calendar does not have a date of 16. For example, tithi pancami suklapaksa is fifth date, while tithi pancami kresnapaksa is twentieth date.
The concept of Sunya (empty) in Hindu teachings underlies the Saka calendar to calculate years from zero point. 1st Caitra of year zero coincided with the date of 14th March 78. New Year 1st Caitra 1929 fell on 19th March 2007. In Indonesia, the Saka New Year is known as Nyepi Festival of Hindu People.
In mainland of Southeast Asia, from Vietnam to Myanmar, Buddhist calendar is used. It calculates the year from 544 BC, the year when Siddharta Gautama was born. The calendar system is same as the Saka calendar. New Year in 2551 fell on 19th March 2007. However the sacred date of the Buddhist people is not the New Year, but the Waisaka full moon night, when Buddha was born and got his enlightenment. That is the Waisak Festival.
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