Embracing the future: New Year reflections & the evolution of calendars

As we approach the dawn of 2025, the New Year brings both celebration and reflection. While it marks a fresh beginning, it also offers an opportunity to look back at the past year.

Across the globe, different communities observe their own unique New Year celebrations, based on various calendars—solar, lunar, and regional systems.

Calendars are essential in measuring time, and each culture has developed its own way of tracking the passage of time. Some of the most widely used calendars include the Gregorian, Hebrew, Islamic, Indian, and Chinese calendars. In Nepal, multiple calendars are recognized, such as the Nepal Sambat, Bikram Sambat, and Yalambar Sambat, each with its significance.

The New Year is celebrated under different names, like Sonam Lhosar by the Tamang community, Tamu Lhosar by the Gurung community, and Gyalpo Lhosar by the Sherpa community. In the Mithila region, Jur Shital is celebrated, while the Tharu community observes Maghi on the first day of Magh. Despite these variations, the essence of the New Year remains the same—a time of hope, new beginnings, and resolutions.

Globally, the Gregorian calendar is widely adopted for civil and business purposes, with most populous countries like China, the United States, India, and Russia using it for official matters.

However, nations such as Nepal, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and Iran continue to follow their respective traditional calendars for official use. While Afghanistan and Iran use the Solar Hijri calendar, Ethiopia follows the Ethiopian calendar, and Nepal sticks to the Bikram Sambat. Some countries, like China and India, may use the Gregorian calendar for civil matters but still rely on traditional calendars for cultural practices and holidays.

The Gregorian calendar, introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 as a reform of the Julian calendar, is widely recognized, though it has religious connotations with the term “Anno Domini” (AD), meaning “In the year of our Lord.” Despite its Christian roots, the Gregorian calendar is used by many non-Christian nations for its practicality.

In Nepal, the adoption of the Gregorian calendar raises questions about the need for a foreign calendar when the country already has its own. The Bikram Sambat, believed to have originated under King Vikramaditya of Ujjain or Nepal, was adopted as the official calendar by the Rana Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher in 1903 AD.

Despite its official status, the widespread use of the Gregorian calendar has been driven by the need for global interaction, particularly in trade, commerce, and education. Foreign institutions often require documents in the AD format, leading to the integration of both Bikram Sambat and the Gregorian calendar in official records.

However, the dual-system approach has caused inefficiency and confusion, particularly with date discrepancies on official documents.

The burden of converting dates between Bikram Sambat and the Gregorian calendar creates unnecessary redundancy, leading to disputes in legal matters and additional work in multinational companies operating in Nepal. This “date redundancy” in computer systems can lead to data inconsistency, making it harder to trust the information.

To optimize processes and reduce redundancy, there is a growing call to streamline the use of calendars in Nepal. In an age where business is driven by efficiency, minimizing redundant tasks is essential for sustainable development.

While honoring cultural traditions is important, embracing innovation and simplifying workflows will help pave the way for a more prosperous future.

As we step into 2025, let us reflect on the past, embrace the present, and look forward to a future that blends tradition with innovation. Happy New Year!