issue no. 27

happy new…

number on a calendar?

It’s that time of year once again. A time of renewal + rebirth. Normally, I dive right in, goals set, business targets in place, improvements in sight. But this new year felt a little off. I had the great fortune of spending the holidays in Costa Rica with family + friends surfing, swimming, watching sunsets, and feeling very much in my 85-degree element. I felt energized, invigorated, + ready for the new year ahead. And while the weather was a very welcome betrayal, the harsh juxtaposition to the abrupt re-entry to NYC winter was not. It was ROUGH. And it got me thinking.

For those of us residing north of the equator, come January, there’s not much new or vibrant evident in our surroundings. It is winter- the trees are bare, the ground is cold, the earth is essentially asleep. An unwritten agreement in nature that it is time for hibernation, restoration, conservation, and stillness - the calm before the bold + beautiful arrival of spring. And yet, at this same time, we humans are shoved into a state of propulsion, a forced restart. We gorge on resolutions, 30-day challenges, and rigid expectations to improve our old selves.

However, when we peer into other cultures + their approach to the beginning of the year, there seems to be better alignment with our natural world.

Chinese New Year, marked by moon cycles, occurs on the first new moon of the Lunar calendar. The Thai celebration of Songkran (Sanskrit for movement), based on the solar calendar, highlights the transit in the zodiac of Pisces into Aries (mid-April). It is said, according to Buddhist folklore, that the people of Sukhavati had experienced extreme drought, heat, + foul smells due to their corruption + greed. The Bodhisattva prayed to Mother Earth. Once the people had regained their Dharma (Dhamma), she provided them with seeds + rain and from that, the fertile crops appeared at the arrival of the sun stationing in Aries.

The Islamic calendar, based on the lunar cycle, starts the New Year in the Month of Muharram (Day of Ashura occurring on the 10th day), with the sighting of the first crescent moon. Because it is based on the visibility of the moon, this date varies from year to year, with the expected date being June 16 in 2026.

Nowruz, ('new day' in Farsi) starts on the Spring Equinox, celebrating nature’s rebirth. This holiday marks the first month of the Iranian / Persian solar calendar, falling on or around March 20. The Hindu calendar takes a different approach, considering lunar + solar cycles during its celebration of Hindu Nav Varsh (Hindu New Year), which also takes place in Spring. On the first day of the bright phase of the lunar fortnight, or Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, it is said that Lord Brahma initiated the cosmic cycle, making this a very auspicious time to start something new.

Interesting fact: the lunar + solar calendars differ by 10 - 12 days

So how did we get stuck with January?

The Gregorian calendar we currently use saw some iterations. And while it is quite old, dating back to the late 1500’s, it is by no means the original method of keeping time. In fact, the oldest recorded calendar, Kajoda, dates back to around 8042 BC. It is one of the oldest verified timekeeping systems used by a continuing culture, the Yoruba people of West Africa. There are also apparently 40+ calendars + a history that is more complex + elaborate than this little newsletter can handle. So, for our sake, let’s look at the evolution of the calendar we all abide by.

The original Roman calendar, accredited to its founder, Romulus (~753 BC), consisted of 10 months (304 days), leaving an undefined “gap” in winter. Because let’s be honest- winter doesn’t deserve to be accounted for- like…wake me when it’s over. However, this lack of definition resulted in a seasonal misalignment, so they did what any reasonable creator of imaginary concepts would do- they changed the rules.

Originally, the calendar started in Martius (March), named after Mars, the Roman God of War. Seems like a positive way to start off the year. But in ~700 BC, Rome’s 2nd King Pompilius extended the calendar by introducing a 355-day lunar year. January + February were added, making January (named after Janus- the god of beginnings) the new start of the calendar. While this was closer to aligning with the solar cycle, it still didn’t quite cut it.

However, Egypt, home to some of the greatest astronomy experts at the time, had figured it out. They were able to accurately calculate the length of a solar year to 365.25 days. And during Julius Caesar’s time in Alexandria (multi-tasking of course) he consulted with astronomer Sosigenes, returning to Rome in 46 BC to introduce the Julian Calendar.

But…the length of a year that corresponds to the time it takes to revolve around the sun (solar cycle) varies from a year that corresponds to our seasons, so he added a leap year every four years to compensate. While this became the widely accepted calendar for nearly 1600 years, over time, the leap year approach caused a drift- it had overcompensated. As it turned out, a solar cycle is 365.2422 days, not 365.25.

This overcorrection caused Easter to drift from the Spring Equinox, which was not cool with the Catholic Church. So, in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII introduced a reformed version, altering the leap year system + bringing it closer in line with the equinox. This would become the Gregorian Calendar that most of the world uses today.

So, really, this article is just a lengthy reminder that time is nothing but a marker of events + this idea of the January 1st New Year was randomly made up. But it sure does serve modern capitalism well to romanticize buying new things, working harder than ever, + always wanting more.

If you’re feeling slow this month or not ready to hit the ground running, you are not alone + you are totally in tune. Mother Nature reflects all that you feel. Take it slowly, give yourself grace, and follow your natural rhythms. You are on your way to becoming exactly who you were meant to be + come spring, you will blossom beautifully.

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