End of sadness, beginning of joy

HAPPY New Year! Or more appropriately, Happy Gregorian New Year. The Gregorian calendar is not universal -- at least not until recently, so it is not a New Year worldwide. 

In the same vein, we will be wishing the Chinese Gong Xi Fa Cai next month. But Chinese New Year is clearly specified as an event in the Chinese calendar, and not intended to be universal per se.

Last month, another new year -- the Mayan New Year -- passed us by. It was as universal as it can get when humanity held its breath in anticipation of the "end of the world". 

While some may argue that the Mayan calendar is parochial in design, so too is the Gregorian calendar, at least once upon at time! Also known as the "Western calendar", it was reportedly designed by an Italian doctor, astronomer and philosopher Luigi Lilio (also known as Aloysius Lilius). 

Born around 1510, he died in 1576, six years before his calendar was officially introduced as recently as February 1582, taking the name of Pope Gregory XIII who adapted it. 

It is intended to replace the so-called Julian calendar, introduced by Julius Caesar much earlier, which in turn replaced the more complicated Roman calendar before it. 

The Roman version has only 355 days in a year. The Gregorian calendar is said to further improve on the Julian version because of an error of one day every 128 years. Unlike the 365 days as we know today, the Julian year is 25 days longer. 

While divided into 12 months, it added a "leap day" to the month of February every four years (leap year).  

In addition, various rules were set to align dates of religious events such as Easter, although several Eastern Orthodox and Protestant churches still make references to the Julian calendar for some of their religious festivities.

The Gregorian calendar is still off by about one day but for every 3,236 years. 

How is it then the Gregorian calendar is considered universal today and celebrated not only in the Western world but also in the least developed countries in the most commercialised manner? 

This practice began when Italy first adopted it in 1582 together with other predominantly Catholic countries such as Poland, Portugal and Spain, followed by other European countries. In the east, Japan did so in 1873, and China in early 1900s. 

Perhaps, this is one instance where the world is unified somewhat by the Gregorian calendar, although it is devoid of substance to many, socio-culturally. 

The Mayan calendar could have been an international one too. It predates the Gregorian calendar with its own universal values and meaning for the world at large. 

On Sept 26, 2012, Bolivian President Evo Morales put the record straight at the United Nations' 67th session. 

In his speech, he said: "I would like to say that according to the Mayan calendar, the 21st of December marks the end of the non-time and the beginning of time. 

"It is the end of the Macha and the beginning of the Pacha. It is the end of selfishness and the beginning of brotherhood. It is the end of individualism and the beginning of collectivism. 

"The scientists know very well that this marks the end of an anthropocentric life and the beginning of a biocentric life. 

"It is the end of hatred and the beginning of love. The end of lies and the beginning of truth. 

"It is the end of sadness and the beginning of joy. It is the end of division and the beginning of unity." 

Sadly, this is one message we missed. Compared to the passing of 2012 into the new year, the change in the Mayan calendar seems to be more hopeful. 

And wishing a Happy (Mayan) New Year is no less universal at a time when the world is engulfed in so much selfishness, individualism, lies, hatred, sadness and disunity. 

Perhaps it is still not too late to wish you a Happy New Year, the Mayan way! 

- The writer is the vice-chancellor of the Albukhary International University