Makara Sankranti also known as Makara Sankranti marks the transition of the sun into the zodiacal sign of Makara (Capricorn) on its celestial path, which is the first change in the zodiac after the winter solstice and is the first day of the month of Magha. The festival is celebrated in various parts of the Indian subcontinent to observe the day which marks the shift of the sun into ever-lengthening days. The festival is a seasonal observance as well as a religious celebration. Makara Sankranthi is a solar event making it one of the few Hindu festivals which fall on the same date in local calendars every year: 14 January, with some exceptions when the festival is celebrated on 15 January...
Makar Sankranti is observed at the beginning of the Capricorn period under the sidereal zodiac, either 14 or 15 January, and signifies the arrival of warmer days. The festival is also dedicated to the sun god and marks the six months auspicious period for Hindus known as Uttaarayan. The importance of Uttaarayan is exhibited in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, where Bhishma Pitamah waited for the sun to be in Uttaarayan for him to die willingly.
Makar Sankranti is believed to be a time for peace and prosperity. The day is regarded as important for spiritual practices and accordingly people take a holy dip in rivers, especially Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery. The bathing is believed to wash away sins.
In the Northern Hemisphere, winter solstice occurs between 21 and 22 December. Day light begins to increase around this time when the Sun begins its northward journey which marks the six month northward journey of the sun known as (Sanskrit) Uttarayaana. Makar Sankranti is the first solar festival which takes place after winter solstice which signifies the return of longer days. Therefore, the festival symbolically marks the winter solstice when the sun ends its zodiacal southward journey (Sanskrit: Dakshinayana) at the Tropic of Capricorn, in the Indian month of Pausha and starts moving northward (Uttarayaan) towards the Tropic of Cancer, in the Indian and Nepalese Hindu month of Magha on this day in mid-January. In Hinduism, Uttarayaana is the six month period which begins from Makar Sankranti.
The actual date of winter solstice changes gradually due to the Axial precession of the Earth, coming earlier by approximately 1 day in every 70 years. Hence, if Makara Sankranti at some point of time did mark the actual date of winter solstice, a date in mid-January would correspond to around 300 CE, the heyday of Indian mathematics and astronomy.
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