Vishu and Easter

Eeaster and Vishu (Hindu New year)

Most Hindus don't know that Vishu is new year. And most Christians don’t know how easter is calculated!

Some basic scientific facts.

The Sun after one full circle of 360 degrees re-enters the first degree of the cosmic circle. This position is called Aries in western astrology and Mesha in eastern. That day is on which the day and night are of equal length or duration. In 2017 the day was on March 21. The time of sunrise and sunset is the same eg. 6:30 am and 6:30 pm.  In scientific terminology this point in the celestial ciricle is called vernal equinox. This day of entry of Sun into 0 degree of celestial circle is Vishu for Hindus.

Then why did the hindus celebrate the day on April 14?

To understand that we need to know some more astrology. The 360 degrees around earth is divided into 12 signs named aries to pisces each of 30 degrees. The same 360 degrees is also divided into 27 star constellations named Aswini to Revati. So 2.25 stars overlap on each sign. The start of Aswini and start of Aries coincided thousands of years back. That was the 360th degree or 0th degree of the 360 degree cosmic circle around earth. Ancient Indians considered the day on which Sun apparently entered into this point as the new year. And that was the day on which day and night was of same duration and was called equinox.

With the passage of time due to the spherical nature of earth and its orbit around Sun this vernal equinox started shifting by small fraction backwards and reached today’s state when the begenning of Aries is 24 (approx to angular minutes) degrees before Aswini. Indians still consider Aries as the begenning of Aswini and not as per equinox. Therefore when the Sun enteres the first degree of Aswini it is new year with the Sun at 0 degree. Hence it is not the day on which day and night are the same length viz. Equinox!

The 24 degrees of difference of equinox and Aswini is termed ‘ayanamsha’. Considering the Sun to be on 0 degree of the celestial circle at Aswini is called nirayana (without ayanasha taken into account) and considering the 0 degree on the day of equinox is sayana (taking ayanamsha into account).

On the day when westerners say that Sun has entered Aries, Indians don’t agree because the Sun has got to go forward 25 more degrees to reach Aswini (where incidentally Aries also is for Indians). But for westerners Sun has entered Aries as the equinoxial point.

When new year is considered as the entry of Sun into Aries, it happens on April 14 for hindus ie. March 21 + 24 (approx) = April 15. It could be 14 or 15 of april due to the angular fractions of minutes and seconds and temporal fractions of minutes and seconds.

Therefore sayana Vishu is on March 21 when the sun enters Aries taking shift of equinox into account.

Easter

Easter is the first Sunday following the first full moon after vernal equinox. In 2017 the equinox was on 21 March. March 28 was the new moon and the first full moon after that was April 11 on Tuesday. Next Sunday is on April 16 ie. today.

This is the relation between Vish and Easter!

Tail piece:  Why for the resurrection day of Jesus, all the celestial and cosmic precisions are considered? Unlike Christmas? It is a question. May be because Astrology played such a prominent role in amongst ancient Jews and Romans.

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“After Jesus had been born in Beth-le-hem of Ju-de’ain the days of Herod the king, look! Astrologers from eastern parts came to Jerusalem saying “Where is the one born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when {we were} in the east, and we have come to do him obeisance” MATTHEW - 2 (1-2)
‘East’ above should be read as India, because only Indians knew Astrology at that time!