Makar Sankranti

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About the Makar Sankranti

It marks the Sun changing directions and shifting its trajectory towards the north, therefore, entering the Makara or Capricorn zodiac sign.
The day is a marker for a change of season – warmer months are close and we are moving away from winter, which is seen as a period of inactivity in many ways.
It is said that the northward journey of the sun (Uttarayan) begins on this day.
Unlike most festivals that follow the lunar cycle, Makar Sankranti follows the solar cycle and thus, is celebrated almost on the same day every year.
Astronomically, the Earth revolves around the Sun in an elliptical orbit that requires about 365 1/4 days to complete, as it continues to rotate on its own axis.
The earth’s spin axis is tilted with respect to its orbital plane. This, along with its distance from the Sun, determines the change in seasons for life on Earth.
For the Northern Hemisphere, the axis points most toward the sun in June (specifically around June 21), and away from the sun around December 21.
This corresponds to the Winter and Summer Solstice (solstice is Latin for “the sun stands”). For the Southern Hemisphere, this is reversed.”
It is also called as –
- Paush Parbon in Bengal
- Pongal in Tamil Nadu,
- Uttarayan in Gujarat,
- Bhogali Bihu in Assam,
- Lohri in Punjab and Jammu,
- Makar Sankramana in Karnataka,
- Saen-kraat in Kashmir.
Khichdi Parwa in parts of Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.

Q1) What is a solstice?

A solstice is an event that occurs when the Sun reaches its most northerly or southerly excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere.

Source: Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Lohri and more: Significance of these festivals, celebrated across India