INSIDE THE GURU'S GATE - Anpere

solar Gregorian calendar, while most religious festivals follow any of the indigenous
lunar, solar or lunar-solar systems.
THE TWELVE MONTHS OF THE YEAR
Punjabi Hindi
March/April Chet Chaitra Spring season
April/May Vaisakh Vaiskaha
May/June Jeth Jyeshtha Summer season
June/July Har Ashadha
July/August Savan Shravana Rainy season
August/September Bhadon Bhadrapada
September/October Asu Ashvina Autumn season
October/November Katak Karttika
November/December Maghar Margashirsha Cold season
December/January Poh Pausha
January/February Magh Magha Winter season
February/March Phagan Phalguna
Figure 22.
By tradition the Sikh community has calculated and celebrated most religious
events after the ancient lunar-solar Vikrami calendar. Whereas the festivals Vaisakhi,
Maghi, and the martyrdoms of the four sons of Guru Gobind Singh (Sahibzadas) have
been celebrated according to solar dates, other holidays and anniversaries of the Gurus
have followed the pace of the moon. According to the lunar system of the Vikrami
calendar there are 354/355 days and twelve months in a year. Each month starts the
day after puranmashi – the full moon day ‒ and consists of a fourteen-day period of
the waning (dark) fortnight, followed by masia ‒ the day of a new moon ‒ and the
waxing (bright) fortnight, and ends on the next full moon day. Each day within a
lunar month is described and calculated by its position in the fortnight, such as “the
first day of the waning fortnight in the month Chet” (Chet vadi 1), or “the fourth day of
the waxing fortnight in the month Chet” (Chet sudi 4). Since the lunar calendar strictly
follows the rhythm of the moon, the lunar year is eleven days shorter in relation to
the solar system, and consequently one additional month (mal mas) of 30 days is
added every second or third year.
On puranmashi many Sikh women in Varanasi used to observe fasts (vrat) of
some sort (abstaining from salt or avoiding speech before the morning bath) and hold
individual or collective katha, or telling of “stories”. Instead of the customary reading
about various Hindu deities the women would enact stories about Guru Nanak from
a book called Puranmashi katha. Other interlocutors said puranmashi was an auspiscious
day for offerings in the gurdwara and they used to serve food and karah prashad
to the community and family members. The new-moon day, on the other hand, was
only observed by a minority of interlocturs who said they arrange recitations of
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Published on www.anpere.net in May 2008