Do Sikhs believe in...?

Question

...Indian astrology?

Is there a Sikh calender?

Answer 1

The Sikh Calendar:

The Nanakshahi (Punjabi: ਨਾਨਕਸ਼ਾਹੀ, nānakashāhī) calendar is a SOLAR calendar that was adopted by the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee to determine the dates for important Sikh events. It was designed by Pal Singh Purewal to replace the Hindu calendar and has been in use since 1998. The epoch of this calendar is the birth of the first Sikh Guru, Nanak Dev in 1469. New Year's Day falls annually on what is March 13 in the Gregorian Western calendar.

Until the 13th of March, 1998, the Sikhs used a Hindu LUNAR calendar (Indian National Calendar, based on Moon's phases) to determine their feast days. They now use their own Nanakshahi calendar which started on 14 March 1999 Gregorian (1 Chet 531 Nanakshahi ) and aligns with the Gregorian calendar as follows. The era (1 Chet 1 Nanakshahi) is the date of the birth of the 1st Guru, Nanak Dev, in the Punjab in 1469.

Although there is an obvious relationship with the Hindu SOLAR Calendar (based on Sun's movement),  the Sikh Organization states that these dates are fixed relative to the Gregorian Calendar.

Baramaha:

Baramaha is the name of composition in Sri Guru Granth Sahib which mention the twelve months (Indian names of the months) in a Calender year. Famous Baramaha composed by guru Arjan Dev Ji in Rag Majh is generally read in Gurudwaras on the day of Sangrand. Guru NanakDev Ji also composed Baramaha in Reg Tukhari.

Baramaha is a form of folk poetry in which the emotions and yearnings of the human heart are expressed in terms of changing moods of Nature over the twelve months period.

Sikh Months:

  

Chet, ਚੇਤ: 31Days, March - April

Vaisakh, ਵੈਸਾਖ: 31 Days, April - May  

Jeth, ਜੇਠ: 31Days, May - June

Harh, ਹਾੜ: 31Days, June - July

Sawan, ਸਾਵਣ: 31 Days, July - August

Bhadon, ਭਾਦੋਂ :30 days, August - September

  

Assu, ਅੱਸੂ: 30 Days, September - October

Katak, ਕੱਤਕ: 30 Days, October - November

Maghar, ਮੱਘਰ: 30 Days, November - December

Poh, ਪੋਹ: 30 Days, December - January

Magh, ਮਾਘ:  30 Days, January - February

Phagun, ਫੱਗਣ: 30/31 Days, February - March



Gurupurabs:

Hola Mohalla, Bandi Chhor Divas and Guru Nanak's birthday continue to be celebrated on dates based on the Hindu calendar. All other Sikh religious days are observed in accordance with the Nanakshahi calendar.

Many people in the Sikh community believe that the calendar is important as it re-affirms the Sikh faith's independence from the Hindu and Muslim faiths.