[Mesha/Medam Sankranti, or first day of Chaitra/Vaishakha, April 13/14]
My understanding is that the Bengali calendar has the same sequence of months as, say the Tamil/"Hindi" calendar--but is OFFSET BY ONE MONTH, so Chaitra in Tamil Nadu = Vaishakha in Bengal. Indian calendars make up a wondrous world that needs as much time to study and understand it, as the time it took to evolve.
India:
April 13/14 = Mesha Sankranti = First day of Chaitra
Tamil Nadu: Puththandu/Varsha pirappu, New Year http://www.chennaionline.com/specials/tamnewyear/features/chithirai.asp
Kerala: Vishu: http://www.kerala.gov.in/knowkerala/vishu.htm
April 13/14 = First day of Chaitra
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka:April 13/14 = First solar day after Mesha Sankranti = First day of Vaishakha
http://www.udupipages.com/festival/ugadi.html
http://www.aptemples.com/festivals/ugadi.htm
http://www.chennaionline.com/festivalsnreligion/Festivals/ugadhi.asp
Maharashtra: Gudi Padava
Sindhi: Chaiti (Cheti) chand
http://www.blessingsonthenet.com/temple/currfestival.asp?festivalid=F0789
"New Year is celebrated in different states of India under various names, for e.g. Ugadi in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, Gudi Padava in Maharashtra. The Sindhis celebrate it as Cheti chand. Ugadi and Gudi Padava share the same legends and customs. The Prasad of neem leaves and jaggery is common to all the three."
Kashmir: Navreh http://www.bawarchi.com/festivals/navreh.html
http://www.northeast.nic.in/art.htmSri Lanka:
Bengal: Poila Boishakh http://www.saja.org/stylebook.html#bengalinewyear
http://www.bardhaman.com/calendar/baishakh.htm
Manipur: Cheiroba http://manipur.nic.in/festi.htm
Assam: Bahag Bihu
http://assamtoday.tripod.com/bihu1.htm
http://www.webindia123.com/Assam/festivals/festivals.htm
Orissa: Chaitra Parba, Chhau Festival: last few days of Chaitra, April 10/11-13/14, concludes on "Mahavishuva Sankranti" at Baripada
http://www33.brinkster.com/mysambalpur/orissa/tourismcal.html
http://www.aryabhatt.com/fast_fair_festival/Festivals/Chaitra%20Parba%20or%20Parva.htm
April 13/14: Aluth Awurudu
http://www.mysrilanka.com/travel/lanka/festivals/avurudu.htm
Nepal
April 14: New Year http://www.infonepal.com.np/festivals.htm
After two days, images of the god Bhairab and his female counterpart Bhadra are enshrined in two large greatly decorated chariots and pulled through crowds of cheering on-lookers. When the chariot reaches the city center, a tug-of-war between the inhabitants of the two neighborhoods takes place. The winners of a tug-of-war are considered blessed with good fortune for the coming year. This festival goes on for nine days.Does Holi have anything to do with any of this?
Holi, a water festival of northern India, is celebrated on the last 2-3 days before the first day of Chaitra http://www.aryabhatt.com/fast_fair_festival/Festivals/Holi%20of%20India.htm......and what about the Polish celebration, Wet Monday???!!!
In parts of South East Asia, the new year is celebrated as a water festival
Myanmar
Apr 13-16: Thingyan, Maha Thingyan, Myanmar New Year, Water Festival,
http://www.myanmarembassyparis.com/mnb/no41/thin.htm
http://www.myanmar.com/ACOCI/CULTURE/2000/ThingyanFun-Games.htm
http://www.shwepla.net/ibex.mv?which+France+/Calendar/Festivals2003.mv
http://www.goldenlandpages.com/hotspots/apr.htm
http://www.buddhism.ndirect.co.uk/thingyan.htm
Special food: mont lone yepaw, moun-lon-ye-baw, moant lone yei baw
Small glutinous rice dumplings stuffed with palm sugar, cooked in boiling water, sprinkled with coconut and served.
[does that not sound like a kozhukattai/modaka/modagam?]
Thailand
Apr 13-15: Songkran, Maha Songkran, Water Festival
http://www.2camels.com/photos113.php3
http://welcome-to.chiangmai-chiangrai.com/sk-03.htm
http://www.journeymart.com/tools/holidays.htm
http://www.bangkoktown.com/thaisculture/songkran.html
Cambodia
April 13-15: Bonn Chaul Chhnam, Khmer New Year's day
(Most web sites say the Khmer clean and decorate their houses, visit their parents make offerings, and play traditional games. One site says they douse each other with water).
http://www.phnompenh.gov.kh/events.htm
http://asiarecipe.com/camculture.html
http://angkor-cambodia.org/eng/infogen.html
http://www.cambodia-hotels.com/background/festivals.htm
Laos
April 13-16: Pee Mai Lao (Lao New Year), Koudsongkhane (water festival)
http://www.muonglao.com/laonewyear.html
"Lao people also enjoy the International New Year, but Lao New Year which is called Water Festival or Koudsongkhane is the biggest traditional festival throughout the country. ....Usually Lao New Year or Koudsongkhane organised in April 13 to 16 in every year."http://www.asean.or.jp/eng/tourism/event.html#4
POLAND???"The celebration is also called "Water Festival" as it involves a ceremony using water. In Cambodia, water is used at ceremonies held at temples, but in Laos and Thailand, particularly in Chiangmai, people celebrate the occasion by splashing water to each other.
Śmigus-dyngus (April 21): "..... Wet Monday is a strictly secular tradition derived from folk beliefs, according to which sprinkling one another with water was a blessing that would guarantee prosperity and a good harvest. Eventually, the day became an occasion for merry-making and chasing one another around with buckets full of water.
http://www.buddhism.ndirect.co.uk/thingyan.htm
"The word Thingyan is derived from a Sanskrit word (sankranta) meaning, the entry of the Sun to any of the twelve regions in the zodiac; it marks the movement of the sun from the region of Pisces or Fishes to the region of Aries or the Ram. It therefore marks the end of one solar year and the beginning of another. Thereupon the Water feast is the period covered by the sun when it moves out of Pisces and is passing through a sort of no man's land between the two regions.
Housewives prepare cold drinks and sweet cakes which are sent as presents to the neighbours. These are gifts of charity to all people. The typical food donation in this Thingyan period is the famous "Mont-lone-yebaw", the floating rice-balls."Mont-lone-yebaw" is the most suitable food donation, because each and every person, old and young, participate in making the food. The glutinous rice, mixed with a certain amount of rough rice, is grilled in water which is left for a night. A large pot of boiling water is prepared in the next morning, ladies make small balls of this glutinous rice paste with a piece of jaggary inserted in every ball. These balls, put into boiling water for a few minutes, came above the surface like floating buoys, cooked and ready to serve. A handful of these balls were then served on plates sprinkled with sliced coconut. The first three plates arc offered to the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha. The rest are sent as presents to the neighbourhood. All the passers-by are also served. It is a great fun to see this party of ''Mont—lone—yebaw" with young men singing and dancing around the ladies preparing the food. Every now and then splashes of water come upon one another enjoying the water feast. Every person nearby could not help amused and delighted by seeing this joyous scene."
R. Geeta This page last updated on August 23, 2003