What is the Solar New Year and when is it celebrated in 2026?

The Hindu Solar New Year (Mesha Sankranti) will be celebrated on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. It marks the day the Sun enters the first zodiac sign, Aries (Mesha).

How does the Solar New Year relate to Pohela Boishakh?

Mesha Sankranti represents the exact astronomical transit of the Sun into Aries. In Bengal, this transition is observed with religious baths, while the cultural and civil New Year (Pohela Boishakh) is celebrated on the following day, April 15.

What are the regional names of the Solar New Year in India?

It is celebrated as Baisakhi in Punjab, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu, Vishu in Kerala, Bohag Bihu in Assam, Pana Sankranti in Odisha, and Pohela Boishakh in Bengal.

What rituals are followed on this day?

People take a morning bath in sacred rivers, offer water to the Sun, and perform charity (Daan), particularly donating cooling items like hand-fans, clay pots filled with water, and seasonal fruits to the needy.

What foods are traditionally eaten on Solar New Year?

Devotees prepare cooling drinks like Sattu Sharbat (made of roasted chickpea flour, jaggery, and water), sweet Pana, and seasonal summer fruits like mangoes and wood-apple pulp.

Solar New Year 2026 | সৌর নববর্ষ ২০২৬

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About Solar New Year(উৎসব পরিচিতি)

While Poila Boishakh is the cultural Bengali New Year, the Solar New Year marks the exact moment the Sun enters the Mesha Rashi (Aries). It is the foundation of the Vedic solar calendar and is celebrated across India under different names like Baisakhi in Punjab or Puthandu in Tamil Nadu. In the Bengali tradition, this astronomical event is the spiritual precursor to our New Year celebrations, signaling the start of a fresh solar cycle and a time for new beginnings.

History: Deeply intertwined with the highly advanced astronomical calculations of ancient India, this crucial transition represents the mathematically precise moment of the Sun's transit. Historically, it has guided agricultural cycles across the Indian subcontinent, marking the onset of the spring harvesting and sowing season.

Significance: It signifies new beginnings aligned with solar cycles, marking the start of a fresh solar month and bringing auspicious energy for spiritual growth, self-realization, and community bonding.

Rituals & How to Celebrate

Taking a holy purifying bath in a sacred river at sunrise.

Offering Arghya (sacred water, flowers, and grains) to the Sun God.

Decorating the entrance of houses with mango leaves and colourful rangoli.

Festival Calendar

Apr14

Solar New Year

১ বৈশাখ • সৌর নববর্ষ ২০২৬

Tue

Related Festivals

Poila Boishakh

পয়লা বৈশাখ ১৪৩৩

15 April

Makar Sankranti

মকর সংক্রান্তি ২০২৬

Frequently Asked Questions

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Quick Info

FestivalSolar New Year

Date14 April 2026

DayTuesday

Tithiএকাদশী

Bangla Date১ বৈশাখ ১৪৩২

Pakshaকৃষ্ণপক্ষ

Panjika Details

Sunrise5:35 AM

Sunset6:10 PM

Nakshatraপূর্বফাল্গুনী

Yogaশুক্ল

Karanaবিষ্টি

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