Celebrating Makar Sankranti

When the sun moves to Capricorn… a new phase begins
Celebrating Makar Sankranti

As new year ushers in with renewed hopes and fervour, we are getting ready to celebrate the next most important celebration of the year (the first one is of course, the new year day; how can we forget that?). It’s Makara Sankanti, the day when the sun moves into the Zodiac sign of Capricorn, also known as Makar. This shift of the sun gives us lengthier days and shorter nights, and hence becomes an important solar day in the Hindu calendar. The air reverberates with a lot of positivity on this day, making it the first auspicious occasion for Hindus who believe in astrology and the power of planets. 

There are some interesting legends attached to Makara Sankrati. As the event is all about the sun moving north, it is considered a very auspicious day. The chant “Om Hreem Hreem Hroumm Sah Suryaya Namah’ delivered early in the morning with reverence and love will render positivity in your heart and mind. According to Mahabharata, the grandsire, Bhishma waited for the sun to move into Uttarayan to shed his body.  Though he was struck by arrows and lay on the battlefield during the Mahabharata war, he refused to die (he had a boon whereby he could choose when to die) as it was Dakshinayan. Dakshinayan is also considered as the night of God, while Uttarayan is thought to be the day of God

Another story attached to the festival of Makara Sankranti is even more interesting. According to the Hindu Almanac, Panchang, Sankranti was a Goddess who vanquished a demon, Kinkarasaur. The belief is that Markara Sankranti is celebrated to commemorate this event. 

Makara Sankranti is celebrated across the nation and in places like Nepal and Bhutan, and is thus known by different names. 

​​​​Pongal in Tamil Nadu, 
Uttrayan in Gujarat, 
Bhogali Bihu in Assam, Guwahati
Shishir Sakranti in Kashmir, 
Makar Sankranti in Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Haryana. 

To enjoy the magical aura and spiritual positivity all around, you can visit the places that we mentioned above. Being an auspicious day for the Hindus, you can take a dip in the Ganges river to absolve yourself of your ‘sins’  (if you feel you have done any!). You can also travel around and see how people celebrate the day. For example, in Bageshwar, a quaint little city in Uttarakhand there is a country fair at the confluence of Sarju and Gomti rivers, while people in Ahmedabad fly vibrant kites and holds friendly competition with other each other to see whose kites flies higher. 

In 2020, Makara Sankranti is celebrated on 15th January. Where are you going to be?