Ashvin


Ashwin or Ashvin or Ashwan, also known as Aswayuja, is the seventh month of the lunisolar Hindu calendar, the solar calendar where it is known as Aipassi and the solar India's national civil calendar. It is the sixth month in the solar Bengali calendar and seventh in the lunar Indian national calendar of the Deccan Plateau. It falls in the season of Shôrot, or Autumn. In Vedic Jyotish, Ashwin begins with the Sun's enter in Virgo.
It overlaps September and October of the Gregorian calendar and is the month preceding Diwali the festival of lights. In lunar religious calendars, Ashwin begins on the new moon after the autumn equinox.

Etymology

is the first star that appears in the evening sky. In the Indian astrology it is the head of Aries, or the first of the 27 Nakshatra. Ashvin also stands for the divine twins, the Ashvins, the gods of vision, Ayurvedic medicine, the glow of sunrise and sunset, and averting misfortune and sickness in Hindu mythology. Asawin is the Thai variant of Ashvin and stands for the warrior. The term is often translated into English as "knight".

Festivals

Several major religious holidays take place in Ashvin. Those are as follows:
  1. Navaratri
  2. Durga Puja
  3. Kojagiri Pornima
  4. Vijayadashami or Dussehra
  5. Divali festival including Dhanteras, Naraka Chaturdasi and Lakshmi Puja
  6. Kali Puja, which are held as per the lunar calendar, usually fall in this month.

    Regional variation

According to the latest revised calendar of Bangladesh, instead of 30 days Ashwin is now consists of 31 days. It went into effect from 16-10-2019.
Ashwin is known as aipasi in Tamil and begins when the sun enters Libra in October.
It's also called kunwaar month in eastern Uttar Pradesh & some parts of Bihar state.