Makar Sankranti Tithi and History

Makar Sankranthi is one of the most popular Indian festivals in north India. It is celebrated in several parts of the country and also in some other parts of the world with great zeal and enthusiasm. This makar sankranti festival, unlike other Hindu festivals, is not dependent on the position of the moon, but on position of the sun. On this special day, the sun enters the zodiac sign of Capricorn.

To recompense for the difference that occurs due to the revolution around the sun, every eighty years the day of sankrant is postponed by one day. Presently, Makar-sankrant falls on 14th January and it is celebrated with pomp and zeal. It is a harvest festival which is essentially celebrated in the Hindu communities. In Indian, the states of Bihar, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Bengal, Punjab, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu celebrate the festival with great fervor and gusto. In Tamil Nadu the festival is well known as Pongal, in Assam as Bhogali Bihu, in Punjab, as Lohiri, in Gujarat and Rajasthan, as Uttararayan. The festival of Makar Sankranti marks the day when the sun begins its northward journey and enters the sign of Makar from the Tropic of Cancer.

It is like the interest group of sun from Dakshinayana (south) to Uttarayana (north) hemisphere. This festival is the one of the few chosen Indian Hindu festivals which has a fixed date. This special day falls on the 14th of January every year according to the Hindu Solar Calendar. The Makar Samkranti festival is considered to be a day from where onwards all the auspicious ritualistic ceremonies can be solemnized in any Hindu family.