''Saal'' is an Indo-Persian word meaning year, and ''mubarak'' is an originally

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

term meaning blessing or good wishes. The greeting ''Saal Mubarak'' is therefore used to mark the New Year. The greeting Saal Mubarak is used by the

Parsi community The Parsis or Parsees () are a Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrian ethnic group in the Indian subcontinent. They are descended from Persians, Persian refugees who migrated to the Indian subcontinent during and after the Muslim conquest of Persia, A ...

in India and Pakistan to mark

Nowruz Nowruz (, , () , () , () , () , Kurdish language, Kurdish: () , () , () , () , , , , () , , ) is the Iranian or Persian New Year. Historically, it has been observed by Iranian peoples, but is now celebrated by many ...

which occurs in either March or August depending on the specific

Zoroastrian calendar Adherents of Zoroastrianism use three distinct versions of traditional calendars for Zoroastrian festivals, liturgical purposes. Those all derive from Middle Ages, medieval Iranian calendars and ultimately are based on the Babylonian calendar a ...

used. Both, Saal Mubarak, and Nutan Varshabhinandan are greetings used by

Gujaratis The Gujarati people, or Gujaratis, are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who reside in or can trace their ancestry or heritage to a region of the Indian subcontinent primarily centered in the present-day western Indian state of Gujarat. They ...

to commemorate the Hindu, Parsi and Jain New Year, also known as Bestu Varas (beginning of the year). It is celebrated on

Balipratipada Balipratipada ('), also called as ''Bali-Padyami'', ''Padva'', ''Virapratipada'' or ''Dyutapratipada'', is the fourth day of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. It is celebrated in honour of the notional return of the daitya-king Bali (Mahabal ...

, which falls on the first day after

Diwali Diwali (), also called Deepavali (IAST: ''Dīpāvalī'') or Deepawali (IAST: ''Dīpāwalī''), is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions such as Jainism and Sikhism. It symbolises the spiritual v ...

: the

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

, Jain, Sikh and Buddhist festival of lights, which symbolizes the triumph of good over evil and

nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...

of Lord

Mahavira Mahavira (Devanagari: महावीर, ), also known as Vardhamana (Devanagari: वर्धमान, ), was the 24th ''Tirthankara'' (Supreme Preacher and Ford Maker) of Jainism. Although the dates and most historical details of his lif ...

. The Gujarati New Year starts on Kartak ''Sud Ekam'' (The first month and first day of the Gujarati

lunisolar calendar A lunisolar calendar is a calendar in many cultures, that combines monthly lunar cycles with the solar year. As with all calendars which divide the year into months, there is an additional requirement that the year have a whole number of mont ...

. The Gujarati community all over the world celebrates the New Year to mark the beginning of a new fiscal year and people put their worries behind them and prepare to welcome a new beginning. Hindus continue with the festivities from Diwali and decorate their homes with

rangoli Rangoli is an art form that originates from the Indian subcontinent, in which patterns are created on the floor or a tabletop using materials such as powdered limestone, red ochre, dry rice flour, coloured sand, quartz powder, Petal, flower ...

patterns and

garland A garland is a decorative braid, knot or wreath of flowers, leaves, or other material. Garlands can be worn on the head or around the neck, hung on an inanimate object, or laid in a place of cultural or religious importance. In contemporary times ...

s, light

diyas Zarina Diyas (; ; born 18 October 1993) is a Kazakh professional tennis player. She has been ranked as high as No. 31 by the WTA. Diyas has won one singles title on the WTA Tour, at the 2017 Japan Women's Open, along with nine singles titles ...

and set off

fireworks Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...

. It is tradition for Parsi and Gujarati people to wear new clothes on New Years Day and to show respect to their elders to seek their

blessing In religion, a blessing (also used to refer to bestowing of such) is the impartation of something with doctrines of grace, grace, Sacred, holiness, spiritual Redemption (theology), redemption, or Will of God, divine will. Etymology and Germani ...

s. Revellers visit family and friends to exchange gifts of money and homemade

sweets Candy, alternatively called sweets or lollies, is a confection that features sugar as a principal ingredient. The category, also called ''sugar confectionery'', encompasses any sweet confection, including chocolate, chewing gum, and sugar can ...

, and wish health and prosperity for the new year. People also visit

mandirs A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

to offer

puja Puja or Pooja may refer to: Religion *Puja (Hinduism), a ritual of devotional worship, to host and honour a guest, or one to celebrate an event *Puja (Buddhism), expressions of honour, worship and devotional attention * Puja, a wooden stick, some ...

to the gods. The Jain calendar ''

Vira Nirvana Samvat The ''Vira Nirvana Samvat'' (era) is a calendar era beginning on 7 October 527 BCE. It commemorates the nirvana of Mahavira, the 24th Jain Tirthankara. This is the oldest system of chronological reckoning which is still used in India. Histor ...

'' has marked this day as New Year since 527 BCE. This day falls on the next day after the day when 24th tirthankar

attained nirvana (Diwali). The date of 16 November 2020 of the Gregorian calendar was celebrated by Jains as the 2547th New Year's Day. During the times of

Hemchandracharya Hemacandra was a 12th century () Śvetāmbara Jaina ācārya, scholar, poet, mathematician, philosopher, yogi, grammarian, law theorist, historian, lexicographer, rhetorician, logician, and prosodist. Noted as a prodigy by his contemporar ...

, the entire Gujarati community began celebrating this day as ''New Year''. Jains spend the day by wishing relatives well, visiting temples, reading scriptures, meditating and rescuing animals from slaughter houses.

References

Culture of India Gujarati language Diwali Greeting words and phrases Parsi culture {{India-culture-stub