Makara Sankranti is the most auspicious occasion for Hindus and is celebrated in almost all parts of India and Nepal in a numerous cultural forms, with great devotion, passion, and cheerfulness. It is generally a harvest festival in India.
Makara Sankranti always falls on 14 January every year; with some exceptions, when the festival is celebrated on 13 January or 15 January during leap years. Makara Sankranti also marks the arrival of spring season in India. After Makara Sankranti, the days start becoming longer and warmer and thus the chill of winter declines.
Sankranti is celebrated all over South Asia with some regional variations. It is known by different names and is celebrated with different customs in different parts of the country. It is celebrated in major parts of India with the name Makara Sankranti, Maghi, Pongal, Magh Bihu and Kichdi Day. For Hindus, the Sun stands for knowledge, spiritual light and wisdom. Makara Sankranti denotes that we should move away from the darkness in which we live and begin to lead a new life with new light to shine brighter and brighter. We should gradually begin to grow in knowledge, wisdom and purity as the Sun does from the day of Makara Sankranti.
Cultural Significance
Makara Sankranti has an astrological significance as the Sun enters the Capricorn (Makara) zodiac constellation on that day and starts moving northward (Uttarayaana) towards the Tropic of Cancer, in the month of Pausha. According to the Puranas, on this day Surya (Sun) visits the house of his son Shani (Saturn), who is the lord of the Makara rashi (Capricorn).
Though the father and son did not get along well, Surya made it a point to meet his son on this day. He comes to his son’s house, for a month. This day thus symbolizes the importance of the special relationship between the father and son. From Makara Sankranti starts the ‘day’ of devatas (gods), while dakshinayana (southward movement of the Sun) is said to be the ‘night’ of devatas, so most of the auspicious things are done during uttarayana time.
In the eighth chapter of Srimad Bhagwad Gita it is said that one who leaves his body during the six months of Uttarayaana, attains Moksha whereas one who leaves his body during the six months of Dakshinatana, returns to this world after enjoying the fruits of his good deeds in heaven. The historic proof is there in Mahabharata when Bheeshma Pitamah was lying on the arrows bed made by Arjun, He waited till Makara Sankranti to leave his body and attain Moksha.
A very big Ganga Sagara Mela is organized every year on this day of Makara Sankranti at the confluence of River Ganges and the Bay of Bengal. Thousands of Hindus take a dip in the water and perform tarpana for their ancestors. It is believed that taking a holy dip on the day in the Ganga Sagara by the son is considered to cleanse sins committed by his ancestors and lead to their Moksha (Salvation).
In some parts of India people offer thousands of colorful oblations or gifts to the Sun God in the form of beautiful kites. Kite flying implies that our ‘colorful thoughts’ and ‘ambitions’ that wish to grow higher and higher and thread of the kites indicates the ‘control’ with which we maneuver the kites in the sky. In the same manner we need to grow higher by controlling our ‘ego’ or ‘self.’
Preparations for the celebration of Makara Sankranti to make it a meaningful festival
• Clean and decorate your homes to create a religious and festive atmosphere
• Get up early in the morning and worship the rising Sun by offering water, flowers, and akshat. Pray for knowledge, wisdom and enlightenment to rise to greater heights in life.
• Perform Ganesh poojan ( Guru poojan, Lord Vishnu and Navagraha poojan especially the poojan for Surya Narayana)
• Prepare homemade dishes with sesame seeds and jaggery (Gud) along with your regional dishes for Naivedhyam
• Perform Yagna (Homam) of Sarva Dev and Devi, offer special ahutis for Lord Surya and Lord Shani by chanting their Mantras and Slokas
• Do some charities to needy people, religious and cultural organizations in the name of Lord Surya, Shani, and your ancestors
Benefits from celebrating Makara Sankranti
• Children who have difference of opinion with their parents perform this festival together to remove the difference and build good relationship. Children should touch the feet and give some gifts to their father on this auspicious day to get the blessings of Lord Surya who is residing in your own living father.
• Those who are not successful or face obstacles in life even after making all possible efforts perform this festival with utmost trust and devotion and get blessing of Lord Surya and Shani to fulfill their desires and dreams
• Children who have fathers with some health problem should perform Makara Sankranti festival to get rid of health problems
• Lord Shani is a chief justice in the Navagraha Mandal who decides about our good and bad Karma Phal. By celebrating this festival people get his soft corner for their bright future
• By performing charities, poojas and taking dips in holy rivers people get divine energy, develop good spiritual thoughts and ease their sins. When people perform tarpan, they help their ancestors to move from Pitru Loka to Deva Loka and from Dev Loka to get ultimate Moksha Phal.
Pt Anil Joshi
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