Nepali Date Calendar

The Bikram Samwat New Year is one of Nepal's many festivals, with celebrations, family gatherings, the sharing of good wishes, and rituals to ensure good fortune in the coming year.

The Bikram Sambat calendar is also recognized in north India and West Bengal state, and Nepal. It is structurally similar to the Bangla Calendar used in Bangladesh, with the same month names and beginning at the same time. Pôhela Boishakh, a national holiday in Bangladesh, marks the start of the new year.

On Pahela Baishakh, the Bangali Hindu communities in India, where the holiday is known as Baisakhi, celebrate the start of Spring and the end of the harvest season. Sikh communities celebrate Vaisakhi since it marks the beginning of the Khasla Sikh order. In Assam, Vaisakhi is known as Rongali Bihu, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu, and Pooram Vishu in Kerala.

Vesak, also known as Visakah Puja or Buddha Purnima in Nepal, India, and Bangladesh, Visakha Bucha in Thailand, Waisak in Indonesia, and Wesak in Sri Lanka and Malaysia, is synonymous with Baishakh in Buddhist cultures. It commemorates Gautama Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death on a single historical day, the first full moon day in May unless it is a leap year, in which case the festival is held in June. Although this festival does not occur on the same day as Pahela Baishakh, the holidays are held in the same month (Baishakh) on the Bengali, Hindu, and Theravada Buddhist calendars. They are traditionally linked due to the spread of Hinduism and Buddhism in South Asia.