Mesha Sankranti

Sankranti (Sanskrit: संक्रान्ति saṁkrānti) refers to the transmigration of the Sun from one Rāshi (zodiac constellation) to the next. There are 12 Sankranti in Hindu solar calendars.

Zodiac wheel

Mesha Sankranti (मेष संक्रान्ति) marks the beginning of the New Year in Hindu solar calendars. According to Vedic astrology, the sun enters Aries, or Mesha rashi on this day. Unlike Ugadi, which is based on the lunisolar calendar and varies from year to year, Mesha Sankranti usually falls on April 13th or 14th. Different solar calendars mark the first day of the year according to the exact time of the Sankranti.

Aries zodiac sign in Jaipur, India [© Yann Forget / Wikimedia Commons, from Wikimedia Commons]. (2014, August). Retrieved April 11, 2018, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aries_zodiac_sign,_Jantar_Mantar,_Jaipur,_India.jpg

Regional celebrations of Mesha Sankranti:

• Odisha: Pana Sankranti
• Tamil Nadu: Puthandu
• Kerala: Vishu
• Bengal: Boishakh
• Assam: Bihu
• Punjab: Vaisakhi, which also marks the formation of the Sikh Khalsa.

Songkran refers to New Year festivals of April in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, parts of Northeast India, parts of Vietnam and Xishuangbanna, China (borders Laos and Thailand), according to Mesha Sankranti observations.

Sources:
2018 Mesha Sankranti, Sankramanam Date and Time. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2018, from https://www.drikpanchang.com/sankranti/mesha-sankranti-date-time.html 

 
Mesha Sankranti. (2018, March 07). Retrieved April 12, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesha_Sankranti

Sankranti. (2018, April 10). Retrieved April 12, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sankranti