Makar Sankranti
Makar(a) Sankranti (Sanskrit: मकरसङ्क्रान्ति, romanized: Makarasaṅkrānti), (transl. Capricorn Festival) also referred to as Uttarayana, Makar, or simply Sankranti, is a Hindu observance and a festival. Usually falling on the date of 14 January annually (15 January on a leap year), this occasion marks the transition of the sun from the zodiac of Sagittarius (dhanu) to Capricorn (makara). Since the sun has made this transition which vaguely coincides with moving from south to north, the festival is dedicated to the solar deity, Surya, and is observed to mark a new beginning. Many native multi-day festivals are organised on this occasion all over India.
| Makar Sankranti | |
|---|---|
Holy dip by devotees in river Ganga on the occasion of Makar Sankranti | |
| Also called | Uttarayana Sankranti Til Sakraat Magha Môkôr Sôṅkrānti Mela Ghughuti Pedda Panduga Bhogi Sakraat Pongal Peddha Panduga sakrat khichaṛi |
| Observed by | Hindus, Buddhists |
| Liturgical color | Red |
| Type | Religious and cultural, harvest festival |
| Significance | A harvest festival, a celebration of the winter solstice |
| Celebrations | Kite flying, bonfires, fairs, Surya puja in river, feast, arts, dance, socialization, gau puja |
| Date | First day of makara masa, Bhogi (15 January in leap years; 14 January on all other years) |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to | Pongal, Lohri, Lal Loi, Maghe Sankranti, Magh Bihu, Tusu Festival |
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| Hinduism |
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The festivities associated with Makar Sankranti are known by various names including Makara Sankranti in Kerala, Magh Bihu in Assam, Maghi Saaji in Himachal Pradesh, Maghi Sangrand in Punjab, Maghi Sangrand or Uttarain (Uttarayana) in Jammu, Sakrat in Haryana, Sakraat in Rajasthan, Sukarat in central India, Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Uttarayana in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, Ghughuti in Uttarakhand, Dahi Chura in Bihar, Makar Sankranti in Odisha, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Goa, West Bengal (also called Poush Sankranti or Mokor Sonkranti), Uttar Pradesh (also called Khichidi Sankranti), Uttarakhand (also called Uttarayani) or as simply, Sankranthi or Peddha Panduga in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Maghe Sankranti (Nepal), Songkran (Thailand), Thingyan (Myanmar), Mohan Songkran (Cambodia), Til Sakraat in Mithila, and Shishur Senkrath (Kashmir). On Makar Sankranti, Surya (Hindu solar deity) is worshipped along with Vishnu and goddess Lakshmi throughout India.
Makar Sankranti is observed with social festivities such as colourful decorations, rural children going house to house, singing and asking for treats in some areas, melas (fairs), dances, kite flying, bonfires and feasts. The Magha Mela is mentioned in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. Many observers go to sacred rivers or lakes and bathe in a ceremony of thanks to the Sun. Every twelve years, the Hindus observe Makar Sankranti with Kumbha Mela – one of the world's largest mass pilgrimage, with an estimated 60 to 100 million people attending the event. At this event, they say a prayer to the Sun and bathe at the Prayagaraj confluence of the River Ganga and River Yamuna, a tradition attributed to Adi Shankaracharya. Makar Sankranti is a time of celebration and thanks giving, and is marked by a variety of rituals and tradition.