The Religious Affairs Office

Hinduism (Sanātana Dharma) is truly defined (āstika) by the recognition of the authority of the Vedas and the application of the caste system (varnashrama). The many schools of Hinduism are thus classified based on the social group they belong to and their specific association with the sacred scriptures. This clarification is key to understanding the great variety of religious and regional calendars in this tradition.

In the Vedas' six auxiliary sciences (vedangas), the science of jyotisha observes, calculates and interprets the positions of the planets, and the first two functions are studied as part of the treatises known as Siddhānta. This knowledge is applied both at the microcosmos or human level (Horā) and at the macrocosmos or world level (Samhitā), as the two realms are believed to be reflections of each other. The religious festival and ritual calendars are established within the macrocosmos. The calculation of the sun's position during the spring equinox (sayana) is given priority over the calculation of its position with respect to the star or sidereal background (nirayana).

 

LONG CYCLES

According to Hinduism, the world was created as a succession of constantly expanding cycles. The larger ones are called "days (kalpa) and nights (pralaya) of Brahma". The reason for their extraordinary length is that they are calculated mainly based on Pole Star cycles. Each kalpa is in turn divided into fourteen cycles characterised by the same "normative pattern". They are Manus or manvantara. Each manvantara in turn has four "generational" sub-cycles (yugas) that are very similar to the "Ages of Man" you can find in ancient Greek and Roman culture (e.g. in Hesiod's or Ovid's works), which under Hindu tradition are linked to the four castes. According to this tradition, we are currently in the Kali Yuga or Iron Age, which is dominated by the character of the lowest caste (shudra) and where values (dharma) are almost unsustainable.

Yugas are in turn divided into 60-year cycles (samvatsara chakra), which are as long as five rotations of Jupiter around the Sun (5 × 12) and coincide with a conjunction with Saturn. The 60-year cycle is further subdivided into three 20-year cycles, each of them with its own character and governed by a specific aspect of the deity. These subdivisions could continue forever, showing how complex the Hindu calendar is.

 

THE SHAKA CALENDAR

The most widely used of the many Hindu calendars are the annual lunisolar calendars (samvat), which also have different degrees of strength. The best known of these are Vikram samvat (which was started in 57 BC) and Shaka samvat (which was started in 78 BC). India's current official calendar is a 1957 reformulation of Shaka samvat. This calendar is also recognised by Hindu communities in Bangladesh, Indochina, Indonesia, Nepal and the Philippines, among others.

The Shaka calendar starts with the spring equinox, which falls in late March under the Gregorian calendar, and comprises twelve lunar months starting on the new moon. The official method for correcting the disparity between the solar and lunar cycles (the latter is shorter) is to add another month (Adhika-masa) approximately every two and a half years, although some variants achieve this by adding days on a more regular basis. Weeks are based on the planetary model that is also evidenced in most European languages. Each day starts and ends with sunset.

It is traditional in Hinduism to develop annual astronomical calendars or almanacs with all the information required to celebrate the religious rituals. These almanacs are known as panchangam because they provide a summary of mainly “five (panch) key pieces of information (anga)”: the lunar day (tithi), the lunar mansion and star (nakshatra and tara), the lunisolar angle (yoga), part of the lunar day (karana) and the planet that rules each day (vasara).

 

TYPICAL HINDU FESTIVALS IN BARCELONA

It would be impossible to include in this summary all the festivals – or even the most typical ones – in the Hindu calendar. However, there are enough Hindu festivals in Barcelona to properly illustrate the main categories:

• Festivals relating to processions and pilgrimages:
  • Ratha Yatra, or chariot festival. This festival commemorates Jagannatha's (a form of Krishna) visit to the temple during the month of Ashada (late June).
• Festivals relating to specific gods and goddesses:
  • Durga Puja and Navaratri, both of them in honour of the goddess Durga. This is held on the full moon of the month of Ashvin (late September) and usually has a duration of ten days.
  • Maha Shivaratri, or the Great Night of Shiva. This celebration is held on a night of waning moon in the month of Phalguna (late February)
  • Krishna Janmashtami. This festival commemorates the birth of Krishna (a manifestation of Vishnu) in the first half of the month of Bhadrapada  (late August).
• Popular seasonal holidays:
  • Holi. This celebration, which is well known for its colours and bonfires and takes place during the full moon in the month of Phalguna (late March), celebrates love and joy as passing moods at the start of spring.
  • Diwali, or the Festival of Lights. This festival celebrates the fertility and prosperity (attributes of Lakshmi) that come after the autumn equinox. It is held on the full moon of the month of Kartika (late October) and tends to last five days.