Islamic New Year

The Islamic New Year is a cultural event which Muslims observe on the first day of Muharram , the first month in the Islamic calendar . Many Muslims use the day to remember the significance of this month, and the Hijra , or migration, Islamic prophet Muhammad made it to the city now known as Medina . Recently, in many areas of Muslim population, people have begun exchanging cards and gifts on this day, though this is not commonly done. Ras al-Sana ( Arabic : رأس السنة ) is the Islamic celebration of the new Hijri year. The term is similarly used in the Arabic language to mark the start of the new Gregorian year . The word literally means "Head of the year," and is cognate to the Hebrew term Rosh Hashanah . Since the Islamic lunar calendar year is 11 to 12 days shorter than the solar year, Muharram migrates throughout the seasons.

The Hijri New Year , also known as Islamic New Year ( Raʼs as-Sanah al-Hijrīyah ) is the day that marks the beginning of a new Islamic calendar year, and is the day on which the year count is incremented. The first day of the year is observed on the first day of Muharram , the first month in the Islamic calendar . The first Islamic year beginning in 622 AD during which the emigration of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina , known as the Hijra . While some Islamic organizations prefer determining the new month (and hence the new year) by local sightings of the moon, most Islamic institutions and countries, including Saudi Arabia , follow astronomical calculations to determine future dates of the Islamic calendar. There are various schema for calculating the tabular Islamic calendar (i.e. not based on observation), which results in differences of typically one or even two days between countries using such schema and those that use lunar sightings. The current scheme has been introduced in AH 1423 (15 March 2002). A day in the Islamic calendar is defined as beginning at sunset.

The Islamic New Year ( , Raʿs as-Sanah al-Hijrīyah ), also called the Hijri New Year or Arabic New Year , is the day that marks the beginning of a new Hijri year , and is the day on which the year count is incremented. The first day of the Islamic year is observed by Muslims on the first day of the month of Muharram . The epoch (reference date) of the Islamic era was set as 622 Common Era (CE) , the year of the emigration of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina , known as the Hijra . All religious duties, such as prayer , fasting in the month of Ramadan , and pilgrimage , and the dates of significant events, such as celebration of holy nights and festivals , are calculated according to the Islamic calendar. While some Islamic organizations prefer determining the new month (and hence the new year) by local sightings of the moon , most Islamic institutions and countries, including Saudi Arabia , follow astronomical calculations to determine future dates of the Islamic calendar. There are various schemas for calculating the tabular Islamic calendar (i.e. not based on observation), which results in differences of typically one or even two days between countries using such schema and those that use lunar sightings. The current scheme was introduced in 1423 AH (15 March 2002). A day in the Islamic calendar is defined as beginning at sunset .

Beginning of a new lunar Hijri year Not to be confused with Nowruz , the New Year in the solar Hijri calendar . The Islamic New Year ( , Raʿs as-Sanah al-Hijrīyah ), also called the Hijri New Year , is the day that marks the beginning of a new lunar Hijri year , and is the day on which the year count is incremented. The first day of the Islamic year is observed by most Muslims on the first day of the month of Muharram . The epoch (reference date) of the Islamic era was set as the year of the emigration of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina , known as the Hijrah , which equates to 622 CE in the Gregorian calendar . All religious duties, such as prayer , fasting in the month of Ramadan , and pilgrimage , and the dates of significant events, such as celebration of holy nights and festivals , are calculated according to the Islamic calendar. While some Islamic organizations prefer determining the new month (and hence the new year) by local sightings of the moon , most Islamic institutions and countries, including Saudi Arabia , follow astronomical calculations to determine future dates of the Islamic calendar. There are various schemas for calculating the tabular Islamic calendar (i.e. not based on observation), which results in differences of typically one or even two days between countries using such schema and those that use actual lunar sightings. The current scheme was introduced in 1423 AH (15 March 2002). A day in the Islamic calendar is defined as beginning at sunset .