Man is seldom rational in his behaviour nor does he always aspires to be one. In fact most of his learning is through imitating his fellow beings. That is how he learns his mother tongue but sometimes he tries to be rational and should be. Let us try to evaluate the facts and historical truth to assess whether there is any iota of scientific fact or history backed reason to celebrate New Year.
It was Julius Caesar who used his authority as the dictator of the Roman world to fix the seriously messed up Roman calendar at the time. The Romans had to regularly adjust their calendar to synchronize it with seasons and over centuries their calendar got seriously messed up. It was 67 days ahead of the true year. This prompted Julius Caesar to bring about a change whereas ours (Bharatiye) calendar was scientific and mathematically accurate or flawless.
The number of days in a month were whimsically increased just to satisfy the Emperors ego. That is how July and August have 31 days. The whimsical increase in the middle had to be adjusted in the end. As the last month of our true and scientifically proven year was February so it had to have two days less i.e. 28. This also goes to prove that the true year prior to the Roman Calendar did not begin with January.
Now, it is also interesting to learn how the names of the months were named. January was named after the name of the Roman God Janus, February after the Roman festival called februa, March after the name of Roman God of war Mars, April after the Latin word ‘aperire’ meaning ‘to open’ (just as the flowers do in spring), May after the Greek Goddess Maia, June after the name of the Roman Goddess Juno, July after the name of the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar, August after the name of the Roman’s first emperor Augustus. But the names of the months from September to December are just named after the numbers septem, octo, nonus, decimus meaning seven, eight, nine, ten. That is to say, December literally means tenth then how do we have it as the twelfth month?
They tell us the meaning of the first syllable of these months and miss out on the last two syllables i.e. ‘ember’. Actually ‘ember’ is ‘amber’ (i.e. Akash/Heaven). Dr Sudhanshu Trivedi explains that if we divide the position of the sun in relation to the earth in twelve parts. The Sun is visible in one zodiac during one month and thus we have twelve sankrantis in a year. Sankranti is the transmigration of sun from one zodiac to another in Indian Astronomy.
So Julius Caesar could not change the unchangeable eternal law of Sanatan but being slave to his whimsical desire and to satisfy his ego farwarded January or the Roman God Janus to be the first month in his unscientific or whimsically contrived calendar.
Let us leave aside the differences of civilizational war or culture but can we leave aside reason?
Should we not be sane enough to know the reason why we do certain things and why we shirk from doing other things. I know certain sections of our society are blind followers of the west and there are still others who do not hold any opinion at all. They only follow what others do or flow with the current or the trend as if they would be left behind if they don’t do what the trend is. This is compulsion not freedom.
Our New year begins with the first ray of the sun while Roman Calendar begins at midnight when all the negative powers touch their optimum level of potency. Furthermore, is such a time an auspicious occasion to make resolutions or wishes. Is cosmic intelligence and energy in tune with your resolve or wish? Are we being rational or mere slaves to unscientific whimsical idea of celebrating new year two months before it actually happens? Why twelfth month is called the tenth month or vice-versa? Be sane and looking into the facts will pay.