It is a tropical solar Hindu calendar in which the year begins on the first day of Baishakh month i.e.
Makar Sankranti falls in the month of Pausha, and Basant Panchami in Magh.
The Maithili calendar is of great importance for Maithil people in India as well as in Nepal.
All auspicious dates (e.g. marriage, Mundan, Upanayana sanskar) as well as the dates of Maithili festivals (e.g. Dipawali (Diwali/Tihar), Chhath, Durga Puja, Janaki Navami) are set based on the Maithili calendar.
The Hindu solar calendar also starts in mid-April, and the first day of the calendar is celebrated as the traditional New Year in the Indian states of Assam, West Bengal,[5] Kerala, Manipur, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu,[6] and Tripura.
Bangladesh, Nepal, Thailand and Sri Lanka also celebrate new year around the same time (13–15 April).