Description:
Significance:
-min.jpg)
The harvest festival:
Makar Sankranti 2025 date and time
The cosmic connection:
festivals related to Makar Sankranti:
Thai Pongal/ Pongal:
Thai Pongal celebrated in Tamil Naidu , is a celebration of four days to pay tribute to King Indra(Lord). This festival is medium to thank Lord Indra for plentiful rain and hence the fertile land and yield. Thai Pongal celebration are incomplete without offering made to Lord Surya and Lord Indra .On the second day of Thai Pongal freshly cooked rice boiled in milk served in the earthern potsis offered to Lord Surya .
On the third day Mattu Pongal is celebrated in honor of Basava -Lord Shiva's bull called "Nandi" offering to cattles bells ,flowers, beads ,paints.
On the forth day kannum Pongal is celebrated in which all the women of the household come together to perform in various rituals.
Uttarayan
Lohri
Lohri is harvest festival of Punjab ,celebrated on 13th January . This festival known as the bonfire that are in the evening , Moongphali , popcorn and sweet (rebdi), Gajak part of this festival .
Magh/ Bhogali Bihu:
Onam:
Rituals and Customs:
It is customary to feast on ‘Til-Gur’ and enjoy a joyous session of kite-flying on Makar Sankranti. ‘Til-Gur’ or sesame and jaggery can be eaten in the form of laddoos or chikkis and is believed to keep the body warm, considering the cold weather during this festival. Makar Sankranti is a festival of shedding the past lead of unpleasant relations and sour memories and moving on with a positive attitude towards others. As per popular beliefs, people consume sweets on Makar Sankranti to induce sweetness in their speech and attitude which helps them tone down the hostility and praise the love and happiness around them.
Similarly, kite-flying on the occasion of Makar Sankranti has a significance of its own. In the earlier days, kite flying was usually done in the early hours of the morning just after the sunrise when the sun rays aren’t unbearable. Since the weather is usually quite cold during Makar Sankranti, it was believed that basking a little in the sun while indulging in a joyful session of kite-flying would be a good way to stay warm and away from infections and harmful bacterias.
regional names:
- Suggi Habba, Makara Sankramana, Makara Sankranti : Karnataka
- Makar Sankranti, Uttarayan or Ghughuti: Uttarakhand
- Sankranti, Makara Sankranti, Makara Sankramana, Uttarayana or Sankranti : Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh
- Makara Sankranti or Makara Mela and Makara Chaula : Odisha
- Makara Sankranti or Makaravilakku and Makara Jyothi : Kerala
- Makara Sankranti or Til Sankrant : Bihar
- Makar Sankranti, Maghi Sankrant, Haldi Kumkum or Sankranti : Maharashtra, Goa, Nepal
- Hangrai : Tripura
- Thai Pongal or Uzhavar Thirunal: Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia
- Uttarayan: Gujarat
- Maghi: Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab
- Magh Bihu or Bhogali Bihu: Assam
- Shishur Saenkraat: Kashmir Valley
- Sakraat or Khichdi: Uttar Pradesh and western Bihar
- Poush Sangkranti: West Bengal, Bangladesh
- Tila Sakrait: Mithila
- Tirmoori: Pakistan
"Sakraant" in Haryana and Delhi rural areas, is celebrated with traditional Hindu rituals of North India similar to Western UP and border areas of Rajasthan and Punjab. This includes ritual purification by taking the holy dip in rivers, especially in Yamuna, or at sacred ponds such as ancient sarovars Kurukshetra and at local tirtha ponds associated with the ancestral guardian/founder deity of the village called Jathera or Dhok (dahak in Sanskrit or fire) in villages to wash away sins. People prepare kheer, churma, halva with desi ghee and distribute til-gud (sesame and jaggery) laddoos or chikkis. Brothers of married woman visits her home with a gift pack, called "Sindhara" or "Sidha", of wood and warm clothing for her and her husband's family. Women give gift to their in-laws called "Manana". Women congregate in the nearby havelis to sing Haryani folk songs and exchange gifts.
Maa Siddhidatri Mantra in english pooja
shardiya navratri maa kaalratri pooja vidhi
Maa Katyayani mantra pooja vidhi
shardiya Navratri 2024 Day 5, Maa Sakandamata pooja vidhi, aarti Mantra
shardiya Navratri 2024 4th day Kushmanda Devi pooja mantra
shardiya Navratri 2024- 3rd day Chandraghanta, pooja Aarti, Mantra
Maa Brahmacharini Pooja, Aarti,Vidhi and Mantra
In Jammu, Makar Sankranti is celebrated as 'Uttrain' (derived from Sanskrit: Uttarayana). Alternatively, terms 'Attrain' or 'Attrani' have also been used to describe this festival. A day before Lohri is celebrated by Dogras to commemorate end of Poh (Pausha) month. It is also beginning the Magha month as per Hindu Solar Calendar, hence also known as 'Maghi Sangrand' (Sankranti of Magh month).
Among Dogras, there is a tradition of 'Mansana' (charity) of Khichdi of Maah Dal. Khichdi of Maah di Dal is also prepared on this day and that is why this day is also referred to as 'Khichdi wala Parva'. There is also a tradition of sending Khichdi & other food items to house of married daughters. Fairs are organised on holy places and pligrimages on this day. Dhagwal in Hiranagar tehsil is known for Fair on Makar Sankranti and Janamashtami.
People of Jammu also take holy bath in Devika river and pilgrimages like Uttar Behni and Purmandal on this occasion. This day is also celebrated as birth anniversary of Baba Ambo ji, a local deity of Jammu region.
In Maharashtra on Makar Sankranti day people exchange multicoloured halwa (sugar granules coated in sugar syrup) and til-gul laadoo (sweetmeats made from sesame seeds and jaggery). Gulachi poli/puran poli(flat bread stuffed with soft/shredded jaggery mixed with toasted, ground til [white sesame seeds]) and some gram flour, which has been toasted to golden in pure ghee, are offered for lunch. While exchanging til-gul as tokens of goodwill people greet each other.
Married women invite friends/family members and celebrate Haldi-Kunku. Guests are given til-gul and some small gift, as a part of the ritual. Women make it a point to wear black clothes. As Sakranti falls in the months of the region, wearing black adds to the body warmth. This is an essential reason behind wearing black, which is otherwise barred on festival days. As per another legend, Lord Surya forgave his son Shani and his son visited him on Sankranti. And that's why people distribute everyone sweets and urge them to let go of any negative or angry feelings. While distributing sweets famous line "til gul ghya aani god god bola" (which means eat this sesame and jaggery and speak sweet words) is used in Maharashtra.
Odisha
The festival is known as Makar Sankranti in Odisha where people prepare makar chaula : uncooked newly harvested rice, banana, coconut, jaggery, sesame, rasagola, Khai/Liaa and chhena puddings for naivedya to gods and goddesses. The withdrawing winter entails a change in food habits and intake of nourishing and rich food. Therefore, this festival holds traditional cultural significance. It is astronomically important for devotees who worship the sun god at the great Konark temple with fervour and enthusiasm as the sun starts its annual swing northwards. According to various Indian calendars, the Sun's movement changes and the days from this day onwards become lengthier and warmer and so the Sun-God is worshiped on this day as a great benefactor. Many individuals at the start of the day perform a ritual bath while fasting. Makara Mela (Fun fair) is observed at Dhabaleswar in Cuttack, Hatakeshwar at Atri in Khordha, Makara Muni temple in Balasore and near deities in each district of Odisha.
Devi kavacham Mantra ,Lyrics and Meaning
krishna janmashtami 2024 date significance of history
shardiya Navratri 2024 - Nav Durga ,Significance of History Date
Maha Shivratri 2025: Date, Pooja timings, History, and Significance
Hanuman Chalisa- Meaning in English
Rajasthan and Western Madhya Pradesh
"Makar Sankrati" or "Sakraat" in the Rajasthani language is one of the major festivals in the state of Rajasthan. The day is celebrated with special Rajasthani delicacies and sweets such as pheeni (either with sweet milk or sugar syrup dipped), til-paati, gajak, kheer, ghevar, pakodi, puwa, and til-laddoo.
Specially, the women of this region observe a ritual in which they give any type of object (related to household, make-up or food) to 13 married women. The first Sankranti experienced by a married woman is of significance as she is invited by her parents and brothers to their houses with her husband for a big feast. People invite friends and relatives (specially their sisters and daughters) to their home for special festival meals (called as "Sankrant Bhoj"). People give out many kind of small gifts such as til-gud (jaggery), fruits, dry khichadi, etc. to Brahmins or the needy ones.
Uttarakhand
Makar Sankranti is a popular festival in Uttarakhand. It known by various names in the different parts of the state such as Uttarayani, Khichri Sangrand, Pusyodia, Ghughutia, Ghughuti Tyar, Kale Kauva, Makrain, Makraini, Gholda, Gwalda and Chunyatyar.
In the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, Makar Sankranti (also called as Ghughuti or Ghughuti Tyar or Ghughutia or Kale Kauva or Uttarayani) is celebrated with great gusto. The famous Uttarayani mela (fair) is held in Bageshwar town each year in the month of January on the occasion of Makar Sankrati. According to the Almora Gazetteer, even in the early twentieth century, the annual Uttarayani mela at Bageshwar was visited by approximately 15,000 people and was the largest fair of Kumaon division. The religious ritual of the Uttarayani mela consists of bathing before daybreak at the confluence of Saryu and Gomati followed by an offering of water to Lord Shiva inside the Bagnath Temple.
Outside India:
Nepal
Maghe Sankranti (Nepali:, Mathili:, Nepal Bhasa is a Nepalese festival observed on the first of Magha in the Vikram Sambat calendar (about 14 January). Tharu people celebrate this particular day as new year. It is also regarded as the major government declared annual festival of the Magar community.
Observant Hindus take ritual baths during this festival. These include Sankhamul on the Bagmati near Patan; In the Gandaki/Narayani river basin at Triveni, Devghat near Chitwan Valley and Ridi on the Kaligandaki; and in the Koshi River basin at Dolalghat on the Sun Koshi. Festive foods like laddoo, ghee and sweet potatoes are distributed. The mother of each household wishes good health to all family members.
Shiva Tandava Stotram- Origins of History Lyrics and Meaning
Shiva Stotram- Yogeshwaraya Mahadevaya Lyrics and Meaning
Maha Mitruanjaya Mantra- Meaning and Lyrics
NIRVANA SHASTAKAM- HISTORY, LYRICS WITH MEANING
VIGANHARTA- LORD SHREE GANESHA
Pakistan (Sindh)
On this festive day, Sindhi parents send ladoos and chiki (Laaee) made of sesame seeds to their married daughters. The Sindhi community in India too celebrate Makar Sankranti as Tirmori which involves parents sending sweet dishes to their daughters.
Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Canada, Australia, America and some Europe countries:
On this day, the Tamil farmers & the Tamil People honour the Sun God Suriya Narayanan. This happens when the sun enters the zodiac sign of Capricorn (Makara). The Thai Pongal festival is celebrated in mid-January, or the Tamil month of Thai, to coincide with the rice harvest.
External link- Makar Sankranti