Sikh New Year: Nanakshahi Samvat 559 begins on 1 Chet

The Sikh New Year falls on 1 Chet, the first day of the first month of the Nanakshahi calendar. On 14 March 2027 the year 559 begins. The day is also the Sangrand of Chet, the start of the new solar month.

The Nanakshahi calendar

The Nanakshahi calendar counts its years from 1469, the year of the birth of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, so the year that runs from March 2026 to March 2027 is 558. Its twelve months carry the old Punjabi names, from Chet and Vaisakh to Magh and Phagan, the same months the Gurus used in the Barah Maha compositions of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. A version of the calendar designed by Pal Singh Purewal was adopted by the SGPC in 2003, with months of fixed length; it was later amended, and today the SGPC's calendar keeps fixed solar dates for some days and follows the moon for others, such as the Prakash Purab of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Hazri's calendar follows the SGPC's for 558.

The Barah Maha

Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji in Raag Tukhari and Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji in Raag Maajh each composed a Barah Maha, a song of the twelve months, in which the changing seasons mirror the longing of the soul for the Divine. Chet, the month of spring, opens both. At the Sangrand of each month, many gurdwaras recite the part of the Barah Maha for that month.

How the day is observed

Sangats gather for kirtan and Ardas, and for the recital of the Barah Maha of Chet. Many Sikhs begin the year by rising at Amrit Vela and resolving to keep their Nitnem through the year ahead. Hazri adds the calendar for each new year before it begins.