Makar Sankranti

Culture of origin: Hindu · Cultural

Holiday sources: Hinduism

Makar Sankranti marks the sun's passage from Sagittarius into Capricorn (Makara) in the sidereal zodiac; as it coincides with the sun's movement from south to north, it is dedicated to the sun god Surya. Being set by the sun, it is typically on January 14 or 15. People bathe in sacred rivers and lakes, fly kites (above all in Gujarat, where it is Uttarayana) and eat sweets of sesame and jaggery; it is Magh Bihu in Assam and Pongal in Tamil Nadu, and every twelve years it is kept with the Kumbh Mela, when pilgrims bathe at the confluence at Prayagraj. When the sankranti comes after sunset, Drik Panchang moves the observances to the next day.