India is the land of various religions. Due to its cultural and religious diversity, many festivals are celebrated here throughout the year.
People around the country celebrate festivals with each other irrespective of caste, creed, religion. That is why we follow the mantra of Unity in Diversity and live with peace and harmony.
Throughout the whole year, many festivals are celebrated here. One of these festivals is Makar Sankranti.
Makar Sankranti is a Hindu Harvest festival that is celebrated not only in India but also in some foreign countries where the Hindu population resides.
It is celebrated with joy and happiness. Basically, the purpose behind the celebration of this festival is to express our thanksgiving towards the God of the Sun and animals.
Let’s have a look at the details regarding this one of the beautiful celebrations:
Makar Sankranti Date & Time
This beautiful harvest festival is celebrated around two weeks after New Year on January 14 or 15, according to the Gregorian Calendar, Pandits say the God Sun to enter Makar during 14th’s mid night, so the Holy time will be started at early 15th morning.
On the leap year, it is celebrated on January 15. In 2023, this harvest festival of rituals, beliefs, and fun is going to be celebrated on January 15.
History Behind Celebrating Makar Sankranti
There are many sayings and stories regarding the celebration of this season. One of them is on this day, Lord Surya visited his Son Lord Shani, the ruler of Capricorn keeping aside their differences.
So this day marks the love and a great bond between a father and a son and also teaches us to forget the past differences and to start with a new perspective.
The upcoming Makar Sankranti will be more special because this time, along with the Sun, 3 major planets, that are Jupitor, Mercury and Saturn will transit in Capricorn. This rare event will bring a lot of changes to all Zodiac Signs.
As per another belief, it is celebrated to mark the triumph of good over evil. It is said that Lord Vishnu saved the earth from destruction by cutting off the heads of Asuras.
Makar Sankrati 2022 Shubh Muhurat
As we all know, most Hindu festivals are based on the Lunar Calendar, which means as per the changing positions of the Moon, these festivals are determined to celebrate.
But Makar Sankranti or Makar Sankranthi is the festival that is celebrated as per the Solar Calendar to mark the movement of Sun or Surya Dev. Sankranti means Movement and Makar means Crocodile, which is equivalent to the Zodiac sign Capricorn.
Basically, the meaning of Makar Sankranti is movement or transmigration of the Sun in Capricorn or Makar Zodiac from Dhanu Rashi or Sagittarius Zodiac.
This process marks the end of the harsh winter season and the onset of the sunny and pleasant spring or summer season in India, which is the symbol of abundance and prosperity.
Punya Kaal will start at 3:00 AM (15 Jan) and end up at 05:45 PM. Mahapunya Kaal will start at 02:43 PM and end at 04:28 PM on the same day, taking a total time of 1 hour 45 minutes.
How to Celebrate Makar Sankranti?
Makar Sankranti is a Hindu Harvest festival. It is celebrated in different parts of our country and is called by different names.
People from different states of India celebrate different harvest festivals that concur with Makar Sankranti. The names must be different, but the purpose of the celebration is the same everywhere.
The basic way of celebration is that people take a dip in holy rivers and express their heartfelt gratitude towards Lord Sun or Surya Dev. They thank him for a good harvest and seek blessing for the upcoming harvest season.
In North India, especially in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, people make a rice-dish called “Khichdi”. They welcome the festival by worshiping Lord Sun and cattle. In North India, it is also known as Khichdi Sankranti.
In Punjab, the harvest season is called Lohri. People celebrate it by lighting a bonfire in the evening. They gather around the sacred bonfire and perform the native dance called Bhangra.
In the same way, this harvest festival is called Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Uttarayan in Gujarat, Magh/Bhogali Bihu in Assam, and some parts of Tripura.
