Meena Sankranti is one of the twelve sun-transition events which mark the starting of a new month, indeed the last month of the year.
Calculated as per the solar calendar system, Meena Sankranti is also observed throughout India by Hindus as an auspicious opportunity of donating food, clothes, and especially the land (in this particular Sankranti).
Overview
Meaning of Meena Sankranti
The word Meena Sankranti is the integration of two words- ‘Meena’ and ‘Sankranti’. Meena is a Rashi or astrological Zodiac Sign which is also known as Pisces and symbolized as Fishes. Sankranti shows the movement of the Sun from one zodiac sign to another.
Meena Sankranti is the event of sun transition from Meena Rashi to Mesha Rashi, that is, from Pisces zodiac to Aries zodiac.
Names of Meena Sankranti
Meena Sankranti is known as Meena Sankranthi, Meen Sankranti, Meena Sankraman, and Sankramanam in South.
Day and Date of Meena Sankranti
According to the Hindu Lunar calendar, it comes in ‘Chaitra’, the first month of the ‘Panchang’ Hindi calendar.
Auspicious Muhurat Time of Meena Sankranti
Meena Sankranti is one of the Shadshitimukhi Sankranti(S); others are Mithuna Sankranti, Kanya Sankranti, and Dhanu Sankranti. Meena Sankranti related auspicious Muhurat for Daan-Punya falls 16 sixteen Ghati(s) after the Meena Sankraman moment.
It entails that the Muhurat for Daan-Punya-related righteous activities is the time window of Sankranti to 16 Ghati after Sankranti.
(Time of Sankraman)
(Duration of Muhurat: 01 Hour 59 Mins)
(Duration of Muhurat: 05 Hours 56 Mins)
God of the Festival
As it is a sun-transition event, the devotees and followers of Lord Surya (Sun God) worship him with hopes of seeking blessings for the entire month.
Rituals
Among Hindus, there is a tradition of waking up early before sunrise, taking sacred baths in river water, and offering Namaskar (greetings) and prayers addressing the Sun during the sunrise.
This tradition becomes an important ritual of Meena Sankranti which people observe waking up early morning.
Another imperative ritual involves donation-giving activities. Where food or grain is donated commonly on the occasion of all the twelve Sankranti(s), land-donation to needy and Brahmins is especially done on this Sankramanam event.
People perform these righteous activities within the time frame of Shubh Muhurat which is found out by the Pandits (Priests) and considered auspicious.
Significance of Meena Sankranti
Meena Sankranti marks the arrival of the twelfth month of the Hindu Solar calendar which falls in April.
Like others, this Sankranti is also observed as a significant opportunity to perform the Daan-Punya (charitable activities).
Mythologies
It is believed that donating the land leads one to way of happiness.
People offer other goods as well to the needy and Brahmins, believing that their good deeds will pay them off in the future in this world and the other world after their death. So they follow all the rituals for collecting Punya (good deeds in the account of God).
The sacred bath, holy chanting, and offered worships are believed to cleanse and free one from all the past sins of a lifetime. So people take a dip in Holy Rivers like Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati.
Celebrations
The festival of Meena Sankranti is not celebrated as some cultural event; it is signified as a religious and astrological event.
The temples are cleaned and decorated with flowers. People visit them and lit the incense sticks and lamps of oil in the temples and homes. They offer sweets and fruits to their diety along with the hymns and chants during the worship.
Lord Surya is especially worshipped and revered on this day. The Konark Sun temple of Orissa is visited by many devotees on the day of Meena Sankranti.
