Makar Sankranti

1 A day the sun keeps, not the moon

Most festivals on the Hindu calendar move with the moon, shifting dates year to year. Makar Sankranti is different — it follows the sun's own passage into Capricorn, making it above all a marker of the harvest season and a day of gratitude to Surya as the source of life and energy on earth. That solar footing is what gives the day its character: less a story-driven festival than a seasonal turning point, celebrated with food, sky, and the company of family and neighbours.

Its best-known symbol is tilgul — sesame seeds and jaggery worked into a sweet, made at home and handed round to friends and family with the greeting "Tilgul ghya, god god bola": take this sweet, and speak sweetly. The phrase carries the real message: an invitation to set aside old grudges for the year ahead and choose warmth and generosity instead, sealed with something sweet rather than just said aloud.

2 The rituals, sky-bound and door-to-door

In Mukhed, the morning belongs to tilgul doing the rounds of neighbours' homes, and by afternoon the sky over the town fills with kites. It's one of the gentler entries on the town's festival calendar — no processions, just warmth passed door to door.

3 One sun, many names

Most Hindu festivals shift dates year to year on the lunar calendar, but Makar Sankranti is tied to the sun's steady movement, so it falls on almost the same date — 14 or 15 January — every year. Across India, the same solar turning point is marked under different names and customs. Punjab and Haryana celebrate Lohri the evening before, gathering around a bonfire and offering sesame, jaggery and peanuts into the flames. In Assam it is Magh Bihu or Bhogali Bihu, a feast marking the end of the harvest, when people spend the night in a temporary hut called a "bhelaghar" that is set alight the next morning. Tamil Nadu celebrates Pongal, where freshly harvested rice is boiled in milk until it overflows — "pongu" in Tamil — giving the festival its name. In Gujarat the same day is known as Uttarayan and turns cities like Ahmedabad into the centre of a massive kite-flying festival. Behind all these names lies the same astronomical event: the sun's entry into Capricorn and the start of longer days.

4 What Uttarayan actually marks

"Uttarayan" simply means "northward journey" — the six-month stretch of the sun's apparent path across the sky during which it gradually shifts north, making days longer in the northern hemisphere. Traditional Hindu thought treats this period as auspicious, described as the "day" of the gods, and favourable for charity, weddings and new undertakings, unlike the six months of Dakshinayan that follow.

Worth noting: Makar Sankranti now falls roughly three weeks after the actual astronomical winter solstice around 21–22 December, a gap that has widened over centuries due to the precession of the equinoxes. The festival, though, keeps celebrating the same underlying idea regardless.

5 A sky full of kites, flown safely

In states like Maharashtra and Gujarat, kite flying during Uttarayan has grown so widespread that rooftop contests run through the day, often centred on trying to cut down a rival's line. But the same sport carries a real hazard: glass-coated or metal-coated "manja" thread is extremely sharp, and it injures birds and can cut the necks of motorcyclists and pedestrians on the street below. Several states have banned such nylon and glass-coated manja, though it continues to be used regardless.

• Use plain cotton thread — avoid glass- or metal-coated manja.
• Avoid flying kites early morning and late evening, when birds are most active.
• Keep a safe distance from rooftop edges and railings while flying.
• If you find an injured bird, contact a local animal rescue team rather than handling it yourself.

6 Frequently asked questions