Makar Sankranti is a harvest festival that marks the Sun’s transition into Capricorn, signalling the end
of the long winter nights and the beginning of brighter, warmer days. Across India it is welcomed as
a moment of renewal, gratitude and the deep interconnectedness between cosmic rhythms and
human life. While each region celebrates it differently, the festival carries a shared spirit of
thanksgiving for the bounty of nature and the promise of a new agricultural cycle.
At the heart of Makar Sankranti is the astronomical event of the Sun entering Makara Rashi. This
marks the beginning of Uttarayana, the six-month period when the Sun moves northward,
traditionally regarded as a highly auspicious time. The shift away from the winter solstice was
especially important for ancient agrarian communities, as longer days meant the return of vitality to
the land. This transition came to symbolise inner brightness as well, a reminder that spiritual growth
is aligned with the movement of light.
Because Sankranti is deeply tied to the land, farmers celebrate it as a harvest festival, offering thanks
for crops such as sugarcane, rice and sesame. In Tamil Nadu, the festival takes on its most elaborate
and culturally rich form as Pongal. For four days, families honour the Sun, cattle, land and ancestors.
Sweet Pongal is prepared by boiling freshly harvested rice with jaggery until it overflows, symbolising
abundance and prosperity for the year ahead. Homes are decorated with kolams, cattle are adorned
as symbols of livelihood, and the entire season becomes a joyful expression of gratitude. Pongal is, in
essence, Tamil Nadu’s way of celebrating the same Sankranti spirit through rituals that honour the
rhythm of agriculture and the generosity of nature.
In the northwestern states of Punjab and Haryana, the festival is known as Lohri and is marked by
bonfires, folk dances and music. Families gather around the fire to offer sesame, jaggery and
popcorn, celebrating the return of warmth. In Assam it becomes Magh Bihu, a time of community
feasts, bamboo huts and night-long celebrations. Gujarat and Rajasthan fill their skies with colourful
kites, turning the festival into a vibrant display of freedom and joy. Though the expressions differ,
each regional tradition celebrates the Sun’s life-giving power and the unity of community.
Culturally, Makar Sankranti is a time for purification, charity and shared celebration. Devotees take
holy dips in rivers such as the Ganga, Yamuna and Godavari, believing that the sacred waters
combined with the auspicious solar movement cleanse past impurities. Offering food, clothes and
sesame is considered especially meritorious, as sesame represents warmth and nourishment during
the cold season. Families exchange sweets made of sesame and jaggery, a gesture that symbolises
harmony, togetherness and the sweetness of relationships.
The symbolism of the festival is universal. The longer days are seen as the triumph of light over
darkness, knowledge over ignorance and renewal over stagnation. Even though India celebrates this
time under many names, the essence remains beautifully consistent: gratitude to the Sun,
recognition of nature’s cycles and a reaffirmation of shared cultural identity. It is also a reminder of
the delicate balance between cosmic movements and earthly life, an ancient understanding that
continues to guide rural and urban communities alike.
Makar Sankranti is observed each year on January 14, or occasionally on January 15 in leap years,
because the festival follows the solar calendar. In 2026, it will be celebrated on January 14. More
than a festival, it is a cosmic turning point woven into everyday life, reminding us to welcome light,
give generously and live in harmony with the natural world.
