| Mesha Sankranti | |
|---|---|
 Mesha zodiac sign in Jaipur, India | |
| Also called | Sankranti |
| Date | First day of meṣamasa (13 Apr on leap years; 14th Apr on all other years) |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to | Songkran |
Mesha Sankranti (also calledMesha Sankramana orHindu Solar New Year) refers to the first day of the solar cycle year, that is the solar New Year in the Hinduluni-solar calendar.[1] TheHindu calendar also has a lunar new year, which is religiously more significant. The solar cycle year is significant inAssamese,Odia,Punjabi,Malayalam,Tamil, andBengali calendars.[2]
The day represents specific solar movement according to ancient Sanskrit texts.[2] Mesha Sankranti is one of the twelveSankranti 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 theAries 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 whichVaisakhi andVesak are the best known.[5][6][7]
It is related to the equivalentBuddhist calendar-based New Year festivals inThailand,Laos,Cambodia,Myanmar,Sri Lanka, parts ofNortheast India, parts ofVietnam andXishuangbanna,China; collectively referred to asSongkran.
The phraseMesha Sankranti consists of two Sanskrit words.Sankranti literally means "going from one place to another, transference, course change, entry into" particularly in the context of sun or planets, whileMesha means sheep orAries constellation.[8] The term Mesha Sankranti connotes a specific day based ontime keeping practices developed in the ancient Sanskrit texts of theVedanga field of study calledJyotisha and later texts such as theSurya Siddhanta.[2]
Many regional calendars have two elements: lunar and solar. The lunar element is based on the movement of the moon and counts each month from either new moon to new moon, full moon to full moon, or the day after the full moon to the next full moon.[9] The lunar element forms the basis of religious calendars and begin the year in Chaitra.[10] Many regions begin the local new year with the commencement of the lunar calendar:Gudi Padwa inMaharashtra andGoa;Cheti Chand for theSindhi Hindus;[11] andNavreh for theKashmiri Hindus.[12] InGujarat, the regional year commences with the lunar month of Kartika afterDiwali.[13]
The solar element of lunisolar calendars begin the year onMesha Sankranti. This day is observed by people across India, even in regions which begin the new year using the lunar calendar. However, some regions also begin the regional new year on Mesha Sankranti.