Makar Sankranti

Makar Sankranti marks the sun's transit into Makara Rashi (Capricorn), signaling the end of the winter solstice and the beginning of longer, warmer days. This northward journey of the sun — called Uttarayana — is considered supremely auspicious in Hindu tradition. The Mahabharata recounts that Bhishma Pitamaha, though mortally wounded, waited on his bed of arrows for Uttarayana to arrive before choosing to die, as departing during this period was believed to ensure liberation.

Sankranti is also a harvest thanksgiving. Farmers celebrate the first harvest of the season — the culmination of months of toil. Sesame (til) and jaggery (gur) are exchanged as symbols of warmth and sweetness, with the saying "Til gul ghya, god god bola" (eat sesame-jaggery and speak sweet words).

Astronomically, it is one of the few Hindu festivals tied to the solar calendar rather than the lunar calendar, which is why it falls on approximately the same Gregorian date (January 14) every year.