Makar Sankranti Special

”If Winters comes, can Spring be far behind"

-P.B. Shelly

Observed each year in the lunar month of Magha, which corresponds with the month of January as per the Gregorian calendar, Makar Sankranti almost always falls on the same date every year (January 14 or 15), except in some years when the date shifts by a day.This festival is also one of the very few festivals which are observed as per the Solar cycle as generally Hindu calendar follows the lunar cycles.

The word Sankranti means transit or movement of the Sun from one Zodiac sign to another, with 12 Sankrants in a year, out of which the importance of Makar Sankranti is the highest.

This day, sun moves from Tropic of Capricorn (Dakhshinayan) to Tropic of Cancer (Uttarayana). Makar Sankranti is a significant day as the Sun enters Makar Rashi (i.e. Capricorn zodiac) as per Vedic astrology. In Hinduism the Sun is worshipped and known as Surya Dev who nourishes all living beings on the Earth. Although all twelve days in Hindu calendar when Surya Dev transits a Rashi are considered significant for worshipping Surya Dev, taking religious bath in holy water bodies and performing charity activities but the day when Surya Dev starts moving into Makar Rashi is considered the most auspicious day of the year to worship Lord Surya.

This festival is mentioned in many of our religious text which enlighten about the festival’s religious significance. The religious scripture, “Gita” which is known as the voice of Lord Krishna, illustrates that six months of Uttarayan is the day time of DEITY. And, the 6 months of Dakhshinayan is the night for GODS. It is believed that person who scarifies his body(dies) in Uttarayan get a position in ‘Krishna Lok’. That person gets liberation, whereas, the one who dies in Dakhshinayan, has to be reborn. In the era of Mahabharata, Bhishma Pitamah had a blessing of wish death. Although lying on the bed of arrows, he did not sacrifice his life in the Dakhsinayan, and waited for the Sun to go in Uttarayan. It is believed that on the day of Makar Sankranti, when sun entered in the Uttarayan, Bhishma Pitamah, discarded his body.

There is one more religious story which states that, Yashoda Mata kept fast to have Lord Krishna as her son. The story of Gangawatran is also linked with Makar Sankranti. It is said that on the day of Makar Sankranti, Ganga followed Bhagirath Muni and met the ocean. Conjunction of Ganga and ocean is the reason behind crowd of devotees taking bath in Ganagasagar on Makar Sankranti.

During the last quarter of the year, when the sun is travelling towards south, the crop harvesting takes a backseat because of limited sunlight and harsh weather conditions. Which is why when the sun embarks upon its journey to the north, it makes for a celebratory occasion for not just the agricultural community but for the entire country who had been struggling with the winter gloom.This is celebrated in different parts of the country as per the local customs, traditions, and beliefs. In Tamil Nadu it is called Pongal. In Assam it is celebrated as Magh Bihu and Bhogal Bihu. In states of Punjab and Haryana it is celebrated as Lohri festival. In Uttar Pradesh it is celebrated as Khichari. In Bihar it is known as Til Sankranti or Khichari festival. Poush Sankranti in West Bengal, Tila Sakrait in Mithila and Shishur Saenkraat in Kashmir Valley.

That’s why ”If Winters comes, can Spring be far behind", the classic P.B Shelly line aptly sums the ethos of India's Makar Sankranti celebrations. There are countless other rituals & ceremonies as part of these festivals, each telling its own significance.These all rituals and festivities of this period are about paying reverence to those aspects of nature on which human life & livelihood depends. Like the vividity of mother nature, the festivals around this time of the year also elicit vibrancy and effervescence of the Indian customs & traditions. In the end, it is about getting together and paying obeisance to the all-pervading environment & nature. Whether you want to do it in the name of a God or not, the idea is to respect nature with gaiety and sincerity. Makar Sankranti, Lohri, Pongal, Magh Bihu, Khichdi, Uttarayan, Poush Sangkranti – you can call it with any name, but it would smell as sweet as rose as said by William Shakespeare. May this auspicious occasion inspire noble thoughts of service, love, affection, amity and happiness, good health and a renewed sense of purpose and commitment.