Makar Sankranti Festival

Makar Sankranti is an important festival that marks the day the sun transits into Makara Rashi or Capricorn zodiac. As per the solar calendar, it falls on 14 January every year. The festival also marks the end of winter and the beginning of a new harvest season. It has both seasonal and religious significance. It is considered one of the most auspicious days of the Hindu calendar.

Makar Sankranti is celebrated in different ways across India under different names, each region having its unique customs and traditions.
- In Tamil Nadu, it is celebrated as Thai Pongal, where the festival is celebrated for four days, with the first day being Bhogi Pongal, the second day being Surya Pongal, the third day being Mattu Pongal and the fourth day being Kaanum Pongal.

- In Andhra Pradesh, Bengal, Kerala, Bihar, Goa, Karnataka, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, and Uttar Pradesh, it is celebrated as Makar Sankranti.

- In Gujarat and Rajasthan, it is celebrated as Uttarayana, and people take a dip in holy rivers and perform rituals to mark the beginning of the sun’s northward journey.

- In Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, it is celebrated as Lohri, where people light bonfires and perform folk dances around them.

- In Assam, it is celebrated as Magh Bihu or Bhogali Bihu, where people light bonfires and feast on traditional food.