Makara Sankranti is an important pan-Indian solar festival, known by different names though observed on the same date, sometimes for multiple dates around the Makar Sankranti. It is known as ''Pedda Panduga'/'Makara Sankranti
in Andhra Pradesh, Makara Sankranti
in Karnataka, Telangana, and Maharashtra, Pongal
in Tamil Nadu, Magh Bihu in Assam, Magha Mela
in parts of central and north India, as Makar Sankranti
in the west, Makara Sankranti
or Shankaranti'' in Kerala, and by other names.
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the festival of Sankranti is celebrated over four days. Entrances of homes are decorated with geometric patterns made from colored rice flour, known as Muggu. The four days are observed as Bhogi, Pedda Panduga (the main festival day), Kanuma, and Mukkanuma, respectively.
Assam Magh Bihu, also called
Bhogali Bihu (
Bihu of eating foods and enjoyment) or
Maghar Domahi is a
harvest festival celebrated in
Assam, India, which marks the end of harvesting season in the month of
Maagha (January–February). It is the Assam celebration of Makar Sankranti, with feasting lasting for a week. The festival is marked by feasts and bonfires. The day of the Bihu starts at early dawn by a post-harvesting ceremony called "Meji". In this, bonfires are burned in the house, temples, fields and people pray to Agnidev for blessings Young people erect makeshift huts, known as
Meji and
Bhelaghar, from bamboo, leaves and thatch, and in
Bhelaghar they eat the food prepared for the feast, and then burn the huts the next morning. The celebrations also feature traditional Assamese games such as tekeli bhonga (pot-breaking) and buffalo fighting. Magh Bihu celebrations start on the last day of the previous month, the month of "Pooh", usually the 29th of Pooh and usually 14 January, and is the only day of Magh Bihu in modern times (earlier, the festival would last for the whole month of Magh, and so the name Magh Bihu). The night before is "Uruka" (28th of Pooh), when people gather around a bonfire, cook dinner, and make merry.
Bihar It is popularly known as Sakraat or Khichdi in western Bihar and Til Sakraat or Dahi Chura in rest of Bihar where people usually eat
Dahi and Chura (Flattened Rice), sweets made of Til
Sesame seeds and Chini (Sugar)/Gud(Jaggery) such as
Tilkut, Tilwa (Til ke Ladoo) etc. In the state, the crops harvested around the time are Sesame Seeds, Paddy, etc.
Goa Known as
Sankrant in Goa and like in the rest of the country, people distribute sweets in the form of granules of sugar-coated till pulses among family members and friends. Newly married women offer five
sughat or small clay pots with black beaded threads tied around them, to the deity. These pots are filled with newly harvested food grains and are offered with betel leaves and areca nut.
Gujarat Uttarayana, as Makar Sankranti is called in Gujarati, is a major festival in the state of Gujarat which lasts for two days. • 14 January is Uttarayana • 15 January is Vasi-Uttarayana (Stale Uttarayana). Gujarati people keenly await this festival to fly kites, called
patang. Kites for Uttarayana are made of special light-weight paper and bamboo and are mostly rhombus shaped with central spine and a single bow. The string often contains
abrasives to cut down rival kites. In Gujarat, from December through to Makar Sankranti, people start enjoying Uttarayana.
Undhiyu (spicy, baked mix of winter vegetables) and chikkis (made from til (sesame seeds), peanuts and jaggery) are the special festival recipes savoured on this day. The Hindu Sindhi community in western regions of India, that is also found in southeastern parts of Pakistan, celebrate Makar Sankranti as Tirmoori. On this day, parents sending sweet dishes to their daughters.
Haryana and Delhi "Sakraant" in Haryana and Delhi rural areas, is celebrated with traditional Hindu rituals of North India similar to Western UP and border areas of Rajasthan and Punjab. This includes
ritual purification by taking the holy dip in rivers, especially in Yamuna, or at sacred ponds such as ancient sarovars
Kurukshetra and at local
tirtha ponds associated with the ancestral guardian/founder deity of the village called
Jathera or Dhok (dahak in Sanskrit or fire) in villages to wash away sins. People prepare
kheer,
churma,
halva with
desi ghee and distribute til-gud (
sesame and
jaggery)
laddoos or
chikkis. Brothers of married woman visits her home with a gift pack, called "Sindhara" or "Sidha", of wood and warm clothing for her and her husband's family. Women give gift to their in-laws called "Manana". Women congregate in the nearby
havelis to
sing Haryani folk songs and exchange gifts.
Jammu In
Jammu,
Makar Sankranti is celebrated as
Uttrain (derived from Sanskrit:
Uttarayana). Alternatively, terms
Attrain or
Attrani have also been used to describe this festival. A day before is celebrated as Lohri by
Dogras to commemorate end of
Poh (
Pausha) month. It is also beginning of the
Magha month as per Hindu Solar Calendar, hence also known as
Maghi Sangrand (
Sankranti of
Magh month). Among Dogras, there is a tradition of
Mansana (charity) of
Khichdi of
Maah Dal.
Khichdi of
Maah di Dal is also prepared on this day and that is why this day is also referred to as
Khichdi wala Parva. There is also a tradition of sending
Khichdi & other food items to house of married daughters. Fairs are organised on holy places and pilgrimages on this day. Dhagwal in
Hiranagar tehsil is known for Fair on
Makar Sankranti and
Janamashtami. People of Jammu also take holy bath in
Devika river and pilgrimages like
Uttar Behni and
Purmandal on this occasion. This day is also celebrated as birth anniversary of
Baba Ambo ji, a local deity of Jammu region. At Vasuki temple of
Bhaderwah of
Jammu, the idols of
Vasuki Nag are covered on
Magh Sankranti and they are uncovered only after three months on
Vaisakha Sankranti.
Karnataka This is the
Suggi (ಸುಗ್ಗಿ) or harvest festival for farmers of Karnataka. On this auspicious day, girls wear new clothes to visit near and dear ones with a Sankranti offering in a plate and exchange the same with other families. This ritual is called "Ellu Birodhu." Here the plate would normally contain "Ellu" (white sesame seeds) mixed with fried groundnuts, neatly cut dry coconut and fine cut bella (jaggery). The mixture is called "Ellu-Bella" (ಎಳ್ಳು ಬೆಲ್ಲ). The plate contains shaped sugar candy moulds (Sakkare Acchu, ಸಕ್ಕರೆ ಅಚ್ಚು) with a piece of sugarcane. During the occasion, newly married women give away bananas for five years to married women from the first year of her marriage.
Maharashtra Day 1-Bhogi Day 2-Sankranti Sankranti In Maharashtra, on Makar Sankranti day, people exchange til-gul (sweetmeats made from sesame seeds and jaggery). A famous line associated with this joyous occasion is
til gul ghya god god bola (Eat this sesame and jaggery and speak sweet words). Tilacha halwa (sugar granules) are also offered as prasad in the
Devghar (Prayer room) after seeking blessings. Gulachi poli is a popular flat bread stuffed with shredded jaggery and ground til in pure ghee are enjoyed for lunch as well as dinner. Married women invite friends/family members and celebrate
Haldi-Kunku. Guests are given til-gul and some small gift, as a part of the ritual. On this day, Hindu women and men make it a point to wear black clothes. As Sakranti falls in the
winter months of the region, wearing black adds to the body warmth.
Odisha The festival is known as Makara Sankranti in
Odisha where people prepare
makara chaula (): uncooked newly harvested rice, banana,
coconut,
jaggery,
sesame,
rasagola, Khai/Liaa and
chhena puddings for naivedya to gods and goddesses. The withdrawing winter entails a change in food habits and intake of nourishing and rich food. Therefore, this festival holds traditional cultural significance. It is astronomically important for devotees who worship the sun god at the great Konark temple with fervour and enthusiasm as the sun starts its annual swing northwards. According to various Indian calendars, the Sun's movement changes and the days from this day onwards become lengthier and warmer and so the Sun-God is worshiped on this day as a great benefactor. Many individuals at the start of the day perform a ritual bath while fasting.
Rajasthan and Western Madhya Pradesh (Malwa and Nimar) "Makar Sankrati" or "Sakraat" in the
Rajasthani language is one of the major festivals in the state of Rajasthan. The day is celebrated with special Rajasthani delicacies and sweets such as pheeni (either with sweet milk or sugar syrup dipped), til-patti, gajak, kheer, ghevar, pakodi, puwa, and til-laddoo. Specially, the women of this region observe a ritual in which they give any type of object (related to household, make-up or food) to 13 married women. The first Sankranti experienced by a married woman is of significance as she is invited by her parents and brothers to their houses with her husband for a big feast. People invite friends and relatives (specially their sisters and daughters) to their home for special festival meals (called as "Sankrant Bhoj"). People give out many kind of small gifts such as til-gud (jaggery), fruits, dry khichadi, etc. to Brahmins or the needy ones. Kite flying is traditionally observed as a part of this festival. On this occasion the sky in Jaipur and Hadoti regions is filled with kites, and youngsters engage in contests trying to cut each other's strings.
Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Makar Sankranti is a four-day festival in Tamil Nadu, celebrated from the last day of the Tamil month of Margazhi to the third day of the month of Thai (Pausha), with each day observed as Bhogi Pandigai, Thai Pongal, Maattu Pongal, and Kaanum Pongal, respectively.
Kerala In Kerala, this is called as
Sankranti or
Makara Sankranti. In Malabar villages, this used to be celebrated as the victory over a demon. In Sabarimala, on this day, the
Makaravilakku is lit to show the significance of the almighty.
Tripura The Tripuri is the promoter of Hangrai festivals. They have first introduced this festival of immersing of ancestors' remains in the
holy river. Since then it was adopted by other groups in India and popularized over the years. Mythology inform us that when the world was just created by Lord Siva or Sibrai there was only the grassland and nothing was present. The god then created an egg to produce a human being. The egg hatched to give birth to a human being, creating a big bang. He crawled out of eggshells and looked around for anyone like him, but he found none. There was total silence, peace tranquility, and harmony on the earth. He was frightened by seeing this scenario of earth. He remained near the eggshell most of the time and went back near to the empty eggshell, went inside of half of the shell and covered it with another one, and hid there. The almighty God was upset by this development. Years later he created another egg, and after ten months it hatched. There was a big bang when it hatched that shook the earth and gave birth to another human. He was very courageous and powerful, as soon as he came out of the human eggshell, he started shouting and announced to the whole of the world, 'I am the first to be born in this earth, I am the eldest on the earth, no one is elder to me in this earth. He named himself Subrai and declared to the whole of the earth that he is the ruler of this earth and king of this universe. Hearing the big bang Hangrai got more frightened, closed his eyes, and silently remained inside the shell. But when he heard the voice like his own, he came out of his shell and met Subrai. At this Subrai told that he is older than Hangrai, since then Subrai became the elder brother of Hangrai, and people knew them as it is. Thousand of years later when they grew older, the time had come to leave this world. As Hangrai grew older than Subrai, one day he felt sick very seriously, Hangrai was on his death bed, Subrai was taking care of him. Then god came before them and said, 'Among both of you, Hangrai is elder than Subrai, I only know this, because I have created both of you. Hangrai will leave this earth very soon. Subrai will do all necessary rituals to cremate the body of Hangrai.' And god disappeared from there. Then Subrai cried like a baby, touching the feet of Hangrai, saying, 'Elder brother, I have treated you like a younger brother for thousands of years, forgive me for my wrongdoing unto you.' Hangrai said, 'I have done so!' and touched his head as gesture of forgiving and blessing unto him, and then breadth for his last. After the death of Hangrai, his younger brother Subrai cremated his body and did all the rituals, and immerged Hangrai's remaining in the holy water of the river on the last day of Pousa month. Since then, people observed these rituals and festivals every year and continued to this day. That is why the day is named "Hangrai", which has later adopted by other ethnic groups of people of India. Every year on the day of Hangrai the Tripuri people observe it in grand pomp and show. In every house of Tripuri preparation for Hangrai starts two-three days before. Houses are cleaned, washed whitewashed. All the utensils, clothes, articles are cleaned, homes are decorated. Different types of Tripura cakes, dishes, and drinks are prepared, near and dear ones, relatives are invited for a feast.
Uttar Pradesh The festival is known as
Kicheri in
Purvanchal and
Awadh parts of
Uttar Pradesh and involves ritual bathing. Over two million people gather at their respective sacred places for this holy bathing such as
Prayagraj and
Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and
Haridwar in Uttarakhand. The day at a domestic household begins by taking ritual bath before sunrise, doing ritualistic prayers to the rising
Sun. It also includes pledging for and donating Food, clothing and money to Brahmin/s called
Purohita. It is followed by generous gifting of Food, Clothing, jewelleries and money to female relatives like to married Daughters, Sisters and Daughter-in-Laws and their families.
Sesame seeds,
Jaggery,
chiura and
Yogurt are eaten post the prayers. This is followed by
Khichdi as the next meal (hence the vernacular name of the Festival).
Uttarakhand Makar Sankranti is a popular festival in Uttarakhand. It known by various names in the different parts of the state such as Uttarayani, Khichri Sangrand, Pusyodia,
Ghughutia, Ghughuti Tyar, Kale Kauva, Makrain, Makraini, Gholda, Gwalda and Chunyatyar. in
Bageshwar during the Uttarayani Fair, 2018. In the
Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, Makar Sankranti (also called as Ghughuti (घुघुति) or
Ghughuti Tyar or Ghughutia or Kale Kauva or Uttarayani) is celebrated with great gusto. The famous
Uttarayani Fair is held in
Bageshwar town each year in the month of January on the occasion of Makar Sankrati. According to the Almora Gazetteer, even in the early twentieth century, the annual Uttarayani mela at Bageshwar was visited by approximately 15,000 people and was the largest fair of
Kumaon division. The religious ritual of the Uttarayani mela consists of bathing before daybreak at the confluence of Saryu and Gomati followed by an offering of water to
Lord Shiva inside the
Bagnath Temple. Those who are more religiously disposed, continue this practice for three days in succession, which is known as "Trimaghi".
West Bengal In West Bengal, Sankranti, also known as Poush Sankranti named after the Bengali month in which it falls (last date of that month), is celebrated as a harvest festival Poush Parbon (
Bengali: পৌষ পার্বণ). (It falls on 14 January on the Western calendar.) The freshly harvested paddy and the date palm syrup in the form of Khejurer Gur (
Bengali: খেজুরের গুড়) and Patali (
Bengali: পাটালি) is used in the preparation of a variety of traditional Bengali sweets made with rice flour, coconut, milk and 'khejurer gur' (date palm jaggery) and known as '
Pitha' (
Bengali: পিঠে). All sections of society participate in a three-day festival that begins on the day before Sankranti and ends on the day after. The Goddess Lakshmi is usually worshipped on the day of Sankranti. In the Himalayan regions of Darjeeling, the festival is as known as Magey Sakrati. It is distinctly associated with the worship of Lord Shiva. Traditionally, people bathe at sunrise and then commence their pooja. Elsewhere, many people take a dip in places like
Ganga Sagar. Ganga Sagar falls in West Bengal. ==Outside India==