In Nepali calendar/culture, why is the shortest day of the year different from the day when uttarayan (उत्तरायण) starts?

In Nepali calendar/culture, why is the shortest day of the year different from the day when uttarayan (उत्तरायण) starts?

In Nepali culture, the shortest day of the year is Poush 15 whereas uttarayan (the movement of sun towards north) starts on Magh 1. Shouldn’t they be on the same day?

I mean, as the sun moves north, the days get longer since we are in the northern hemisphere. So shouldn’t the shortest day and start of uttarayan coincide?


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