Mesha Sankranti

Mesha Sankranti
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 SankramanaorHindu 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]TheHindu calendaralso has a lunar new year, which is religiously more significant. The solar cycle year is significant inAssamese,Odia,Punjabi,Malayalam,Tamil,andBengalicalendars.^[2]

The day represents specific solar movement according to ancient Sanskrit texts.^[2]Mesha Sankranti is one of the twelveSankrantiin the Indian calendar. The concept is also found in Indian astrology texts wherein it refers to the day of transition of the Sun into theArieszodiac 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 whichVaisakhiandVesakare 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 ofVietnamandXishuangbanna,China;collectively referred to asSongkran.

Etymology

The phraseMesha Sankranticonsists of two Sanskrit words.Sankrantiliterally means "going from one place to another, transference, course change, entry into" particularly in the context of sun or planets, whileMeshameans sheep orAries constellation.^[8]The term Mesha Sankranti connotes a specific day based ontime keeping practices developed in the ancient Sanskrit textsof theVedangafield of study calledJyotishaand later texts such as theSurya Siddhanta.^[2]

Observance

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 PadwainMaharashtraandGoa;Cheti Chandfor theSindhi Hindus;^[11]andNavrehfor 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.

References

^Robert Sewell; Śaṅkara Bālakr̥shṇa Dīkshita; Robert Schram (1996).Indian Calendar.Motilal Banarsidass Publishers.pp. 31–32.ISBN 978-81-208-1207-9.
^^a ^b ^cRobert Sewell; Śaṅkara Bālakr̥shṇa Dīkshita; Robert Schram (1996).Indian Calendar.Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. pp. 29–35.ISBN 978-81-208-1207-9.
^K V Singh (2015).Hindu Rites and Rituals: Origins and Meanings.Penguin Books.p. 33.ISBN 978-93-85890-04-8.
^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.
^K.R. Gupta; Amita Gupta (2006).Concise Encyclopaedia of India.Atlantic Publishers. p. 998.ISBN 978-81-269-0639-0.
^Christian Roy (2005).Traditional Festivals: A Multicultural Encyclopedia.ABC-CLIO.pp. 479–480.ISBN 978-1-57607-089-5.
^Mark Juergensmeyer; Wade Clark Roof (2011).Encyclopedia of Global Religion.SAGE Publications.p. 530.ISBN 978-1-4522-6656-5.
^Sankranti,Sanskrit English Dictionary, Koeln University, Germany
^Frank Parise (2002) The Book of Calendars
^L.D.S. Pillai (1996) Panchang and Horoscope
^Mark-Anthony Falzon (2004) Cosmopolitan Connections: The Sindhi Diaspora, 1860-2000[1]
^Explore Kashmiri Pandits
^S. Balachandra Rao. Indian Astronomy: An Introduction

[1] Robert Sewell; Śaṅkara Bālakr̥shṇa Dīkshita; Robert Schram (1996).Indian Calendar.Motilal Banarsidass Publishers.pp. 31–32.ISBN 978-81-208-1207-9.

[sewell31-2] 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.

[Gupta2006p998-5] K.R. Gupta; Amita Gupta (2006).Concise Encyclopaedia of India.Atlantic Publishers. p. 998.ISBN 978-81-269-0639-0.

[Roy2005p479-6] 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.

[8] Sankranti,Sanskrit English Dictionary, Koeln University, Germany

[9] Frank Parise (2002) The Book of Calendars

[10] L.D.S. Pillai (1996) Panchang and Horoscope

[11] Mark-Anthony Falzon (2004) Cosmopolitan Connections: The Sindhi Diaspora, 1860-2000[1]

[12] Explore Kashmiri Pandits

[13] S. Balachandra Rao. Indian Astronomy: An Introduction

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Etymology

Observance

See also

References