As the clock ticks past midnight, heralding the start of the year 2025, we find ourselves in the warm embrace of traditions, resolutions, and hopes for the future. But have you ever stopped to wonder about the origins of this universal ritual? The celebration of a New Year is deeply entwined with the advent of calendars, a fascinating journey through time, culture, and innovation.

Civilizations like the Egyptians transitioned to solar calendars, comprising 12 months of 30 days each, with an additional five days added at the end of the year. This was critical for predicting the Nile’s annual flooding, which was essential for agriculture. This structure created a 365-day calendar, though it did not account for the extra 0.25 days in the solar year, leading to a gradual drift over centuries.

The calendar, a seemingly simple tool, is a profound creation of mankind. Its development is closely tied to humanity’s desire to understand and measure the passage of time, regulate daily life, and align activities with the cycles of nature. The first steps toward the creation of calendars began when ancient civilizations observed the patterns of celestial bodies such as the Sun, Moon, and stars. These patterns were essential for predicting natural events like seasons, tides, and eclipses, which were critical for agriculture, navigation, and religious rituals.

The earliest calendars were lunar calendars, based on the phases of the Moon. Ancient Indian civilizations developed and used a variety of calendars that were rooted in astronomical observations, cultural practices, and religious rituals. These calendars were a testament to ancient India’s advanced understanding of mathematics, astronomy, and timekeeping. References to timekeeping in India are found in the Rigveda and Atharvaveda. The Vedic calendar was primarily lunar, with months divided according to the waxing and waning phases of the Moon, forming the basis of Hindu festivals, agricultural activities, and astrological predictions.

Civilizations like the Egyptians transitioned to solar calendars, comprising 12 months of 30 days each, with an additional five days added at the end of the year. This was critical for predicting the Nile’s annual flooding, which was essential for agriculture. This structure created a 365-day calendar, though it did not account for the extra 0.25 days in the solar year, leading to a gradual drift over centuries.

Many ancient systems, such as the Hindu calendar and the Hebrew calendar, combined lunar months with solar years and developed what were known as Lunisolar Calendars. These calendars included “leap months” to synchronize the two cycles. The Roman Republic initially used a lunisolar calendar, which was riddled with inconsistencies due to political interference in adding intercalary months. This calendar initially marked the beginning of a New Year on March 1st, aligning with the advent of the agricultural season.

To address this discrepancy, Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar in 45 BCE, based on a solar year of 365.25 days. The calendar added a leap day every four years to correct the annual drift, bringing significant stability to timekeeping. The beginning of a New Year was shifted to January 1st to coincide with political transitions.

By the 16th century, the Julian calendar’s leap year system had created a drift of approximately 10 days. Pope Gregory XIII reformed the calendar in 1582, introducing what is now known as the Gregorian calendar. Key changes included adjusting the leap year system & realigning the calendar with the equinox to restore accuracy in observing religious events like Easter.

This calendar was gradually adopted worldwide and remains the standard today for civil use, marking January 1st as the beginning of the year.

In a diverse country like India, while the Gregorian calendar is dominant, the New Year is not restricted to January 1st. Various communities celebrate the New Year at different times of the year, each with its unique flavour and significance reflecting the country’s rich cultural and religious diversity. For instance, the Parsi community follows the Zoroastrian calendar, and their New Year, known as Navroz (or Nowruz), typically falls around March 20-21, coinciding with the vernal equinox. It marks the beginning of the spring season and is celebrated with prayers, feasts, and family gatherings. Hindus celebrate the New Year according to regional calendars like the Vikram Samvat and Saka calendar. For example, Gudi Padwa (in Maharashtra), Ugadi (in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka), and Vishu (in Kerala) all coincide with the start of the Chaitra month in the lunisolar calendar, usually in March-April. Sikhs celebrate Vaisakhi as their New Year, which usually falls on April 13 or 14 and marks the beginning of the harvest season. In Bengal, Pohela Boishakh, the ‘Bengali New Year’, is celebrated on April 14 or 15, marking the beginning of the Boishakh month in the Bengali calendar, with traditional foods, cultural performances, and processions. The Tamil New Year, known as Puthandu, falls on April 14 and is celebrated with prayers, feasts, and new clothes. It aligns with the start of the solar year in the Tamil calendar. Mahavir Jayanti (celebrating Lord Mahavir’s birth) often coincides with the New Year in Jainism, while Buddhists in India celebrate Buddhist New Year in different regions, based on local customs, usually around April.

The Panchang is a traditional Indian calendar system deeply rooted in astronomy, astrology, and Hindu cultural practices. Unlike purely solar or lunar calendars, the Panchang is a lunisolar calendar, meticulously combining the cycles of the Moon and the Sun to mark time. It incorporates leap months approximately every three years to align with the solar year. The term “Panchang” is derived from the Sanskrit words Pancha (five) and Anga (limbs or parts), signifying the five core elements that form its basis & organizes time into years, months, fortnights, days, and hours based on lunar and solar movements. The Panchang is based on precise astronomical observations, combining knowledge of planetary positions with traditional calculations.

The concept of a New Year is deeply rooted in the function of calendars. They serve not just as tools for timekeeping but as cultural artefacts, embedding within them the hopes, aspirations, and rhythm of societies. Each New Year celebration is a reflection of human nature’s desire to mark progress, set goals, and cherish the opportunity for renewal.

New Year and Intellectual Property Rights

Interestingly, the concept of “Happy New Year” has ventured beyond cultural and social realms into the domain of intellectual property. In India, phrases like “Happy New Year” and “New Year” have been registered as trademarks and copyrights. Businesses across industries often use these phrases for marketing campaigns, branding, or promotional events. For instance, beverages, greeting card manufacturers, and even entertainment companies seek trademarks incorporating festive phrases to capitalize on the celebratory mood.

A perusal of the records of the Indian Trade Marks Registry shows several applications as well as registered trademarks, including inter alia:

 (Apl. No. 3982406)

(Reg. No. 1009644)

(Reg. No. 2817498)

These trademarks have been filed in connection with goods such as calendars and services pertaining to channel broadcasting, feature films, and entertainment.

Furthermore, there are several copyright applications filed in respect of literary works and artistic works. For example:

• New Year Greeting (ROC No. A-69508/2005) – filed for a literary work.
• Song “India Waale” from the movie Happy New Year (ROC No. SR-11212/2014) – filed as an artistic work.

As we step into another year, the calendar reminds us of its remarkable legacy—a system that not only organizes time but also reflects our collective cultural journeys. Whether it’s January 1st, Diwali, or Gudi Padwa, every New Year celebration underscores humanity’s enduring spirit of renewal and progress.

From all of us at R K Dewan & Co., here’s wishing you a year filled with happiness, success, and inspiration! May your calendar be marked with milestones and memories to cherish. Cheers to another journey around the sun!