Makar Sankranti is India’s major festival. This day, the sun travels from Tropic of Capricorn(Dakhshinayan) to Tropic of Cancer(Uttarayana). Hence it is celebrated to observe the day which marks the shift of the sun into ever-lengthening days.
It marks the first day of the sun’s transit into Makara (Capricorn), marking the end of the winter month and the start of longer days. The Sanskrit word Sankranti means “transition”. This is also referred to as the sun becoming Uttarayan. The new configuration lessens the ferocity of winter and brings warmth to the earth.
Saturn is the ruling planet of Capricorn & Sun is the father of Saturn. On this day, Father goes to meet his son in his home. As Saturn and Sun, both are mighty planets, their blessings can make humans achieve great success.
Makar Sankranti is celebrated not only as a harvest festival but also regarded as the beginning of an auspicious phase in Hindu culture. So, all auspicious and sacred rituals are performed from this day onwards.
For Hindus, Sun stands for Pratyaksha-Brahman – the manifest God, who symbolises glorious divinity, blessing one & all tirelessly. Sun is the one who surpasses time and also the one who rotates the Wheel of Time.
In religious annals, the Sun God enjoys a uniquely high rank for this reason and is worshipped with great devotion, especially because the Sun’s energy helps generate and regenerate life-nurturing procedures.
Makar Sankranti is, therefore, a celebration of plenty, propitiating the Sun God. This festival is observed throughout India, and is well-known as Lohri in Punjab, Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Sankranti in Bengal, Magha Bihu in Assam and Tai Pongal in Kerala.