Makar Sankranti 2024 – All the pieces You Must Preserve in Thoughts

A competition heralding new beginnings and an auspicious begin to the 12 months, the Hindu competition of Makar Sankranti is taken into account to be one of many essential festivals that mark the Solar’s transit to Makara (Capricorn). Often noticed on January 15, Makar Sankranti is the primary main Hindu competition within the Gregorian calendar.
The time period ‘Sankranti’ implies motion, and it marks the start of the Uttarayana or the northward motion of the Solar.
Many individuals additionally think about the auspicious competition because the harbinger of a superb harvest. Charity carried out on at the present time is taken into account to be of nice significance. The competition is devoted to Lord Surya, and it’s believed that on at the present time, the Solar God visits his son Shani. This competition is well known with nice pomp and fervor in lots of elements of India, as individuals have a good time the onset of harvest.

Makar Sankranti 2024 – The Starting of Auspicious Tidings

The date on which Makar Sankranti falls is set as per the photo voltaic cycle, despite the fact that a lot of the Hindu festivals observe the lunar calendar. The phrase ‘Sankrant’ denotes the Solar’s transit into a brand new rasi/zodiac and likewise marks the start of the photo voltaic month.
On Makar Sankranti the Solar transits into the Makara rasi or Capricorn, marking the start of the Makara month.

This 12 months, Makara Sankranti can be celebrated on January 15, Monday.

The Punya Kaal timings for Makar Sankranti are as under:

• Makara Sankranti on Monday, January 15, 2024
• Makara Sankranti Punya Kala – 07:14 AM – 12:36 PM
• Period – 5 hours 22 minutes
• Makara Sankranti Maha Punya Kala – 7:14 AM – 9:02 AM
• Period – 1 hours 48 minutes
• Makara Sankranti Second – January 15, 2:45 AM

Rituals and Puja Vidhi for Makar Sankranti

As individuals put together for Makar Sankranti, they clear their homes and puja rooms and maintain them prepared for the puja. The puja is carried out to realize the blessings of Lord Surya; therefore an idol or a picture of Lord Surya is positioned on the altar and adorned and supplied flowers, cash, incense sticks, betel nuts and leaves, holy water, turmeric powder, and a plate with 4 white and black laddoos constituted of sesame. Ladies cowl their heads with a sari or scarf throughout the puja. Whereas performing the auspicious puja, the devotees chant the Surya mantra

“Om Hram Hreem Hroum Sah Suryay Namah”

Throughout the expanse of India, Makar Sankranti is well known in several names. The rituals additionally range in line with the area. Makar Sankranti is understood by varied names similar to
Lohri in Punjab and sure North Indian areas,
Sukarat in central areas
Sankranti or Pongal in Southern areas.
It’s celebrated in Haryana, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh areas as Maghi, the title signifying the corresponding lunar month of Magha.
For the Assamese Hindus, the Makar Sankranti competition is called Magh Bihu or Bhogali Bihu,
In West Bengal, it’s Poush Sankranti
Within the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, it is called Sankrant
In Bihar, it’s Kichari.
Going South, this competition is called Pongal in Tamil Nadu and is well known with enormous fanfare.
It is called Pedda Panduga in Andhra Pradesh and Sankranti in Karnataka, indicating the variety of the nation.
Each state has a singular ritual, based mostly on its cultures and traditions, however for all, it’s associated to the astrological and agricultural cycles and has sure observances in frequent similar to paying respect to the Solar, the Earth, the crops, and the cattle. Additionally, in some areas, observing vrat or fasting, conducting pujas at house, and giving alms to the poor and needy are thought of auspicious. In Uttar Pradesh, individuals observe the ritual of getting a holy tub within the Ganges. The ‘Magh Mela’ commences on at the present time at Prayag in Allahabad, and devotees flock to the area to acquire blessings.
Within the northern state of Punjab, individuals gentle bonfires on the eve of Sankranti and carry out puja across the sacred hearth. They throw rice and sweets into the fireplace as choices. Grand feasts are partaken by the individuals, and so they carry out the ‘bhangra’ dance across the hearth.
Kite flying is a major sport throughout Makar Sankranti in Gujarat. Individuals collect on the terraces and open areas to fly kites of assorted sizes and shapes.
Different rituals embody elders of the household gifting the youthful members. In Maharashtra, Makar Sankranti is well known with nice fervor. Numerous sweets are ready from jaggery and sesame and exchanged amongst each other with the greetings of “Tilgud ghya ani god god bola”, which means “partake the sweetness of jaggery and sesame and converse sweetly because the candy.”
Maharashtra additionally witnesses married ladies performing the age-old custom of ‘Haldi Kumkum’, which is attended by different ladies folks from the realm who apply the Kumkum and turmeric powder on one another’s brow and change items and sweets. There’s additionally a ritual of shopping for new utensils for the home, by the ladies, thus bringing in luck and prosperity.
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In Tamil Nadu and Southern elements of India, Makar Sankranti marks the harvest season. Paddy is harvested on at the present time, and candy choices made from rice, jaggery, pulses, milk, and ghee are ready and supplied to the household deity.
The competition goes by the title of ‘Pongal’ and is well known for 4 days in Tamil Nadu.
The well-known Ganga Saagar Mela commences on at the present time in Bengal. The Mela is organized within the delta areas of the Ganga, the place the river merges with the Bay of Bengal. Devotees take holy dips in Ganga and supply morning prayers to Lord Surya at daybreak.
Makar Sankranti is noticed as New Yr by the tribes of Orissa and is welcomed with native meals, which is shared amongst mates and households. As you possibly can see, the competition is well known with pomp and fervor all through the nation.

Makar Sankranti – A Legendary Pageant

In keeping with Hindu mythology and legend, Sankranti – after whom the competition has been named – was a deity who annihilated a demon named Sankarasur. It’s thought of the date on which the Solar started to maneuver northwards, as, earlier than Makar Sankranti, the Solar shone on the southern hemisphere. That is believed to be the interval of Uttarayan by Hindus and is taken into account to be a interval of auspiciousness.
The importance of Makar Sankranti has been talked about in Vedic texts. In keeping with Mahabharata, Bheeshma Pitamaha, who was blessed with the boon of selecting his time of loss of life, waited for the start of Uttarayana to liberate his soul from his physique mendacity on a mattress of arrows.
One other legend related to Makar Sankranti is that Lord Surya selected at the present time to go to his son Shani – the lord of Makara rasi. Therefore, it’s a perception that at the present time signifies the strengthening of bonds or resolving the conflicts between a father and son. There’s one other legend related to this competition indicating the triumph of Lord Vishnu over the Asuras. It’s believed that Lord Vishnu ended the misery brought on by Asuras on PrithviLok by chopping their heads off and burying them underneath the Mandara Parvat. Therefore, Makar Sankranti additionally signifies the victory of excellent over evil and the beginning of auspicious tidings.

Why is Makar Sankranti Celebrated in India?

Indians observe Sankranti each time the Solar enters a brand new rasi. Nonetheless, Makar Sankranti is extra vital because it arrives after the southern winter solstice and marks the start of the Solar’s motion in direction of the north.
Makar Sankranti is well known as a reminder of the truth that life is sustained by these relative actions of the Earth and the Solar.
The change of seasons, the equinoxes, the northern solstice (summer season solstice), the southern solstice (winter solstice), and so forth., are all the outcomes of such motion. Throughout the winter solstice, the lean of the earth is at most, and the Solar reaches its southernmost level. From at the present time, the Solar’s northward motion will get robust, and Makar Sankranti marks the start of the interval with regular progress within the length of daytime and fills individuals’s lives with gentle.

Significance of Makar Sankranti

There are numerous the reason why the competition is taken into account vital, and these are as follows –

Astrological significance of Makar Sankranti

In India, and the photo voltaic calendar, the primary day of each photo voltaic month is a Sankranti signifying the transit (Sankranti or Sankramanam) of the Solar into that specific rasi. Thus, there are 12 Sankranti in a 12 months. Of those twelve Sankranti, Makar Sankranti and Karka Sankranti are outstanding for his or her astrological and climatic significance. Makar Sankranti arrives after the winter solstice (shortest day) in Dhanu rasi, whereas Karka Sankranti arrives after the summer season solstice (shortest night time) in Midhuna rasi. When the Solar passes the equinox in Thula and strikes south, the times get shorter than the nights. It progresses on this means till the winter solstice in Dhanu, which marks the shortest daylight of the 12 months.
After the winter solstice, because the Solar begins the Uttarayana or northward motion, the length of daytime will increase persistently. As soon as the competition makes its presence felt, the times get longer and hotter persistently. In lots of elements of India, it marks the arrival of spring and is well known as a harvest competition.

The non secular significance of Makar Sankranti

Indian sages and yogis think about Makar Sankranti to be of nice significance. A Yogi’s life is predicated on the divine bond between the human system and the cosmic system. Their non secular developments evolve following the actions within the Universe and corresponding developments on Earth. Makar Sankranti is a transition that marks the gradual improvement of a brand new section of life, thus symbolizing new beginnings.

Social and cultural significance of Makar Sankranti

Since India is an agrarian nation, the competition is extraordinarily vital because it is a vital interval within the agricultural cycle. For many elements of India, it’s both the harvest time or the interval after sowing. The competition observances and methods of worship range throughout the size and breadth of the nation. In some areas, it’s a single-day competition noticed solely on the day of Sankranti, whereas in some states, it’s a celebration that spans a number of days. The celebrations embody paying obeisance to the Solar God for the nice harvest and paying respect to Mom Earth, the crops, and the cattle. It is usually an event for socializing in lots of elements of India by means of conventional sweets at house ready significantly from sesame and jaggery and sharing it amongst family and friends members. This boosts love and care among the many individuals.
One other vital custom is kite flying which is noticed in sure elements of India. On this fashionable period, it is rising in popularity and has unfold to new areas as properly. Yearly, on January 15, the cities of Ahmedabad and Delhi conduct Kite Flying Festivals, that are attended by individuals throughout the nation and from overseas. These occasions have gained worldwide recognition as natives and foreigners eagerly take part within the kite flying occasion displaying varied shapes, colours, and sizes of kites. On Makar Sankranti, the sky is lit up with colourful kites.

Ought to You Contemplate a Pilgrimage throughout Makar Sankranti?

Many Hindu pilgrim facilities witness spiritual observances on Makar Sankranti, with devotees performing non secular practices by taking a holy tub within the holy rivers of Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Krishna, and Cauvery. The competition additionally coincides with a number of Melasor spiritual gala’s, that are attended by an enormous variety of devotees. These embody the well-known Kumbh Mela, which is held each 12 years at one of many 4 holy locations viz. Haridwar, Prayag (Allahabad), Ujjain, and Nashik. Hundreds of devotees throng the Magh Mela, also called the mini Kumbh Mela, which is held yearly at Prayag and sees numerous devotees.
You can even go to West Bengal, the place the Ganga Sagar Mela is held at Sagar Island, part of the land the place the river Ganga merges with the Bay of Bengal. Hundreds of devotees have a good time Makar Sankranti right here. Makar Sankranti additionally holds nice significance in Kerala and is taken into account an auspicious time for endeavor the Sabarimala Pilgrimage. The inflow of Lord Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala, Kerala, can be at its most on at the present time when tens of millions of devotees from throughout the nation collect on the temple premises to worship Lord Ayyappa and witness the auspicious Makara Vilakku (Makara Lamp) and Makara Jyothi (Makara Gentle).
A few of the different Melas carried out throughout at the present time embody the TusuMela or TusuPorab in Jharkhand and West Bengal, PoushMela at Shantiniketan, West Bengal and Makar Mela in Orissa. If you’re eager on taking a pilgrimage throughout the competition, it is a superb alternative to witness the tradition and non secular fervor of India.
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