*** Welcome to piglix ***

Kha b-Nisan

Kha b' Nisan
Assyrianculture.jpg
Kha b' Nisan celebration in Nahla region
Official name Syriac: ܚܕ ܒܢܝܣܢ
Observed by Assyrian people
Type Cultural
Celebrations Dancing circles, parades, picnics
Date 1 April
Next time 1 April 2018 (2018-04-01)
Related to Akitu, Seharane, Noruz

Kha b' Nisan or Ha b' Nisin, also Ha b' Nison; ܚܕ ܒܢܝܣܢ "First of April", Resha d'Sheta; ܪܫܐ ܕܫܢܬܐ "Head of the year" in Assyrian, also known as Akitu, or Assyrian New Year is the spring festival among the Assyrians, celebrated on 1 April.

Celebrations involve parades and parties. Some Assyrians wear traditional costume and dance in parks for hours. In Europe, the United States and Canada, there are often parties with food, music and dance.

In the Julian calendar, the vernal equinox moved gradually away from 21 March. The Gregorian calendar reform restored the vernal equinox to its original date, but since the festival was by now tied to the date, not the astronomical event, Kha b' Nisan remains fixed at 21 March in the Julian reckoning, corresponding to 1 April in the Gregorian calendar. The Vernal equinox is celebrated throughout Greater Iran as Noruz meaning "New Day" on 21 March. However, in the ancient Assyrian and Babylonian traditions, the spring festival was celebrated in the first days of the month known as "Nisan" and the calendar adopted by the ancient Assyrians had the month "Nisan" at the beginning of the calendar lending to the term "Kha b' Nisan", or the "first of Nisan".

In the 1950s, rising interest in Assyrianism resulted in the creation of an official "Assyrian calendar" with its era fixed at 4750 BC, inspired by an estimate of the date of the first temple at Ashur in the Middle Ubaid period. In the same spirit, the Akkadian name of the spring festival, Akitu, was revived. It is essential to consider that the Assyrian people have generally celebrated Akitu on the first day of April since 4750 BC and that a creation of an official calendar would aim to unite the Assyrians in their nationalism.


...
Wikipedia

...