Time & skySolar calendar transitions
Sankranti
The sun's move into a new sign, each month.
Try it at home
On Makar Sankranti, greet the sunrise and chant a Surya mantra, or share a sesame sweet with someone.
Optional, as always. Adapt it to your family, region and health.
The wisdom
A Sankranti is the day the sun enters a new zodiac sign, twelve times a year. Makar Sankranti in mid-January is the best known, celebrated as Pongal, Lohri, Bihu and Uttarayan.
Marking the sun's passage ties the calendar to the seasons and to the harvest.
What the evidence says
Evidence: TraditionalThe value rests on lived tradition and reasoning, not on tests.There is no research on Sankranti itself. Its value rests on tradition, season and community.
How we rate evidenceSignificance
What it means to the people who keep it. Faith-based meaning is described as belief, not as proven fact.
Makar Sankranti marks the start of the sun's northward journey (Uttarayana), traditionally considered auspicious. It is a time for charity, sesame sweets, holy dips and kite flying.