Mesha Sankranti

See also: Indian New Year's days, South and Southeast Asian solar New Year, and Chaitra Navrati
Mesha Sankranti
Mesha zodiac sign in Jaipur, India
Also calledSankranti
DateFirst day of meṣa masa (13 Apr on leap years; 14th Apr on all other years)
FrequencyAnnual
Related toSongkran

Mesha Sankranti (also called Mesha Sankramana or Hindu Solar New Year) refers to the first day of the solar cycle year, that is the solar New Year in the Hindu luni-solar calendar.[1] The Hindu calendar also has a lunar new year, which is religiously more significant. The solar cycle year is significant in Assamese, Odia, Punjabi, Malayalam, Tamil, and Bengali calendars.[2]

The day represents specific solar movement according to ancient Sanskrit texts.[2] Mesha Sankranti is one of the twelve Sankranti in the Indian calendar. The concept is also found in Indian astrology texts wherein it refers to the day of transition of the Sun into the Aries zodiac sign.[3][4]

The day is important in solar and lunisolar calendars followed on the subcontinent. Mesha Sankranti falls on 13 April usually, sometimes 14 April. This day is the basis for major Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist festivals, of which Vaisakhi and Vesak are the best known.[5][6][7]

It is related to the equivalent Buddhist calendar-based New Year festivals in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, parts of Northeast India, parts of Vietnam and Xishuangbanna, China; collectively referred to as Songkran.

  1. ^ Robert Sewell; Śaṅkara Bālakr̥shṇa Dīkshita; Robert Schram (1996). Indian Calendar. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. pp. 31–32. ISBN 978-81-208-1207-9.
  2. ^ a b Robert Sewell; Śaṅkara Bālakr̥shṇa Dīkshita; Robert Schram (1996). Indian Calendar. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. pp. 29–35. ISBN 978-81-208-1207-9.
  3. ^ K V Singh (2015). Hindu Rites and Rituals: Origins and Meanings. Penguin Books. p. 33. ISBN 978-93-85890-04-8.
  4. ^ Glossary of Native, Foreign, and Anglicized Words Commonly Used in Ceylon in Official Correspondence and Other Documents. Asian Educational Services. 1996. pp. 66–67. ISBN 978-81-206-1202-0.
  5. ^ K.R. Gupta; Amita Gupta (2006). Concise Encyclopaedia of India. Atlantic Publishers. p. 998. ISBN 978-81-269-0639-0.
  6. ^ Christian Roy (2005). Traditional Festivals: A Multicultural Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. pp. 479–480. ISBN 978-1-57607-089-5.
  7. ^ Mark Juergensmeyer; Wade Clark Roof (2011). Encyclopedia of Global Religion. SAGE Publications. p. 530. ISBN 978-1-4522-6656-5.