15 January 2015 :: Makar Sankranti is a Hindu festival celebrated in almost all parts of India and Nepal in a myriad of cultural forms. It is a harvest festival. It is the Hindi/Indo-Aryan languages name for “Makara Sankranthi” (still used in southern areas as the official name).
Makar Sankranti marks the transition of the Sun into the zodiac sign of Makara rashi (Capricorn) on its celestial path. The day is also believed to mark the arrival of spring in India and is a traditional event. Makara Sankranthi is a solar event making one of the few Indian festivals which fall on the same date in the Gregorian calendar every year: 14 January, with some exceptions when the festival is celebrated on 13 or 15 January.
Sankranti
Sankranti is celebrated all over South Asia with some regional variations. It is known by different names and celebrated with different customs in different parts of the country popularly celebrated in Karnataka (Sankranthi), Telangana (Sankranthi), Andhra pradesh (Sankranthi) and Tamil Nadu (Pongal).
In India it is known by different regional names.
*Makar Sankranti: Chhattisgarh, Goa, Odisha, Haryana, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana,Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, and West Bengal
* Pongal,Uzhavar Thirunal : Tamil Nadu
* Uttarayan : Gujarat
* Maghi : Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. The day before, people of Punjab celebrate Lohri.
* Bhogali Bihu : Assam
* Shishur Saenkraat : Kashmir Valley
* Khichdi : Uttar Pradesh and western Bihar
* Makara Sankramana : Karnataka
