makar sankranti

Makara Sankranti

January marks the transition of the sun from Sagittarius to Capricorn. It is the time of harvest and celebration. The crops have been harvested; the new has given way to the old. It is a time to give thanks to the sun for a bountiful harvest.

Makara Sankranti is celebrated all through the country as it is the winter harvest. It is known by different names across India:  Sankranti in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra; Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Lohri in Punjab…….

Sankranti refers to the sun’s movement through the zodiac signs. Most of us can reel off the 12 signs of the zodiac but here we are referring to the lunar calendar.

Remember the sun moves through all the zodiac signs through the year, but the most important is the Makara Sankranti, which marks the sun’s transition from Dhanur rasi (Sagittarius) to Makara rasi (Capricorn). This also means the sun is on its northward journey or uttarayan bringing it closer to the northern hemisphere.

This is also the time that farmers across India offer thank for a good harvest. Most of us buy our groceries from supermarkets so we don’t really worry too much about the weather unless it spoils our plans. So join them as they celebrate a good harvest.