Vishu dates (popular practice)
When Vishu falls in 2027, 2028 and 2029: the first sunrise after the Sun enters Mesha, as kept in Kerala, with the moment of each Mesha Sankranti.
Thursday, 15 April 2027
Vishu is in 179 days. In 2027, the Sun enters Mesha at 15:28 on Wednesday, 14 April, Indian time, so the first sunrise after it at Kochi is Thursday’s, and Vishu is Thursday, 15 April.
Vishu 2027Vishu dates, 2027 to 2029
Reckoned at Kochi for every city; Indian time| Year | Vishu | Sun enters Mesha |
|---|---|---|
| Vishu 2027 | Thu 15 Apr | Wed 15:28 |
| Vishu 2028 | Fri 14 Apr | Thu 21:44 |
| Vishu 2029 | Sat 14 Apr | Sat 03:54 |
Vishu is a popular observance: the first sunrise after the Sun enters Mesha, as kept in Kerala.
The Malabar and Travancore manuals describe the Kani as the first sight of the new year’s morning, set out the night before so that the family sees it on waking. Malabar pp. 160–161; Travancore State Manual pp. 366–367
Popular practice: what goes into the Kani, the kaineettam gifts of money, the Vishu feast and the crackers.
Questions
Popular practice, with the Malabar (1887) and Travancore (1906) manuals for the Kani.
When is Vishu?
For every city, reckoned at Kochi: Thursday, 15 April 2027, Friday, 14 April 2028 and Saturday, 14 April 2029.
Why is Vishu sometimes the day after the sankranti?
Vishu is the first sunrise after the Sun enters Mesha. When the Sun enters it by day, that day’s sunrise has already passed, so Vishu waits for the next morning. When it enters at night or before dawn, the coming sunrise is the first, and Vishu falls that morning. This is popular practice, as kept in Kerala.
What is the Vishu Kani?
The Kani is the first sight of the new year’s morning: an arrangement set out the night before so that the family sees it on waking, as the Malabar and Travancore manuals describe. What goes into it is popular practice, and no time is given for it here. Malabar pp. 160–161
Is the date the same outside Kerala?
Yes. The day is reckoned at Kochi and holds for every city, in India and abroad.
How the day is found
Read the methodology- The day
- The first sunrise at Kochi after the Sun enters sidereal Mesha: our reading of the kept days and of the Malabar and Travancore manuals, which describe the Kani as the first sight of the new year’s morning. One date for every city. Popular practice.
- The ingress
- The Sun’s sidereal entry into Mesha, by the Lahiri ayanamsa, in Indian time.
- No time
- No time is given for the Kani.
Sunrise at the centre of the Sun’s disc, with refraction · Lahiri ayanamsa · Indian time (IST), reckoned at Kochi for every city · Swiss Ephemeris · Method