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Makar Sankranti
The day the Sun turns north, marked with river bathing, kites and sweets of sesame and jaggery.
About Makar Sankranti
Makar Sankranti, in mid-January, marks the Sun's move into Capricorn and the start of its northward course (Uttarayana), a period traditionally held as auspicious. Many people bathe in rivers, at Prayagraj, Ganga Sagar and elsewhere, believing the day to wash away faults, and give grain, sesame and blankets as alms. Sesame and jaggery sweets are shared, with the saying "eat til-gul and speak sweetly". The same days are Lohri in Punjab, with bonfires, and Pongal in Tamil Nadu, where rice is boiled until it overflows. In Gujarat and Rajasthan the sky is filled with kites, a custom that now brings regular bird injuries and deaths from glass-coated string.
Entries tied to it
Also part of it, and being written: Lohri (The Punjabi bonfire festival of the same days.), Pongal (The Tamil harvest festival.).
More entries linked to Makar Sankranti
Written by the EveryJaadu desk with AI assistance. Background: "Makar Sankranti" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family, and are described as belief and practice. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Surya: Ravi Varma Press, Public domain, source