Makar Sankranti Names Across Different States of India: Lohri, Pongal, Magh Bihu and More

India

-Madhuri Adnal

Across
India,
mid-January
brings
a
cluster
of
harvest
festivals
like
Makar
Sankranti,
Lohri,
Pongal
and
Magh
Bihu.
Though
names
and
customs
change
from
State
to
State,
they
all
link
to
the
Sun’s
movement
towards
the
north,
known
as
‘Uttarayan’,
and
to
gratitude
for
successful
harvests
and
the
hope
of
warmer,
longer
days.

This
period
is
also
seen
as
a
blend
of
culture
and
astronomy.
Communities
celebrate
the
end
of
the
harshest
winter
days,
while
rituals
reflect
local
farming
cycles
and
regional
food
habits.
Many
traditions
highlight
respect
for
nature,
cattle
and
crops,
while
also
underlining
beliefs
about
health
benefits
from
the
season’s
first
strong
rays
of
the
Sun.

Makar
Sankranti
science
and
harvest
festival
traditions

Makar
Sankranti,
also
called
Makara
Sankranti,
Maghi
or
Sankranthi,
is
dedicated
to
Surya,
the
Sun
deity.
It
marks
the
Sun’s
entry
into
Makara
rashi,
or
Capricorn,
which
signals
the
end
of
the
month
including
the
winter
solstice
and
the
gradual
start
of
longer
days
across
most
parts
of
India.

The
word
Sankranti
refers
to
the
Sun
shifting
from
one
zodiac
sign
to
another.
Indian
astronomy
therefore
counts
12
Sankranti
events
each
year.
Every
year,
the
Sun’s
movement
creates
two
broad
phases,
called
‘Uttarayan’
and
‘Dakshinayan’,
with
‘Uttarayan’
regarded
as
a
favourable
time
for
new
beginnings
and
key
life
events.

Makar
Sankranti
and
‘Uttarayan’
beliefs
across
India

‘Dakshinayan’
refers
to
the
period
when
the
Sun
appears
to
travel
south,
bringing
longer
nights
and
shorter
days.
‘Uttarayan’
describes
the
northward
journey,
when
days
extend.
Many
Hindus
link
‘Uttarayan’
with
the
period
of
‘devas’,
viewing
it
as
ideal
for
donations,
marriages,
charities
and
other
auspicious
activities
that
mark
hopeful
transitions.

Traditional
belief
also
holds
that
on
Makar
Sankranti
the
Sun’s
rays
benefit
the
body
and
skin.
People
therefore
gather
outdoors
for
rituals
and
social
events.
The
date
doubles
as
a
thanksgiving
for
nature’s
support,
with
communities
worshipping
trees
and
cows,
acknowledging
how
human
survival
depends
on
them
for
food,
shelter
and
farming
support.

Makar
Sankranti
names
and
harvest
festival
diversity

The
same
solar
event
is
celebrated
under
many
regional
names.
In
Uttar
Pradesh
and
several
northern
States,
people
greet
each
other
on
Makar
Sankranti.
Punjab
and
Haryana
light
bonfires
and
celebrate
Lohri.
Assam
observes
Magh
Bihu,
Bihar
marks
Til
Sankranti,
and
parts
of
the
Northeast
vibrate
with
Pousha
Sankriti
gatherings
and
community
feasts.

Far
south,
Tamil
Nadu
welcomes
Pongal,
while
Kerala
honours
Makara
Vilakku.
In
Gujarat,
people
refer
to
the
occasion
itself
as
‘Uttarayan’
and
celebrate
with
food,
social
visits
and
kite
flying.
The
shared
idea
behind
these
festivals
is
gratitude
for
nature,
recognition
of
the
changing
season
and
respect
for
the
knowledge
passed
down
through
generations.

Lohri
and
Makar
Sankranti
harvest
festival
in
the
north

Lohri,
also
called
Lal
Loi
or
Lohadi,
is
celebrated
mainly
in
Punjab,
Haryana,
Delhi,
parts
of
Rajasthan,
Himachal
Pradesh
and
Jammu.
Marked
usually
on
13
January,
one
day
before
Makar
Sankranti,
Lohri
is
closely
tied
to
rabi
crop
harvesting
and
is
commonly
described
as
the
first
major
festival
of
the
new
year.

The
festival,
observed
largely
by
Sikhs
and
Hindus
from
the
Punjab
region,
symbolises
the
passing
of
the
winter
solstice
and
the
farewell
to
the
harshest
cold.
Crowds
gather
around
bonfires,
sing
folk
songs
and
perform
dances.
Lohri
signals
the
end
of
winter,
a
welcome
to
longer
days
and
the
Sun’s
path
towards
the
northern
sky.

Makar
Sankranti
food
and
harvest
festival
customs

During
Lohri
and
Makar
Sankranti,
food
has
a
practical,
seasonal
reasoning.
Winter
menus
favour
warm,
energy-rich
ingredients
that
help
bodies
adjust
to
weather
change.
Farmers
often
begin
harvesting
around
this
time,
so
many
dishes
feature
fresh
grain.
People
see
these
meals
as
supporting
health,
prosperity
and
strength
for
the
work
that
follows.

In
Gujarat,
grain
from
the
new
harvest
is
used
to
cook
a
special
‘khichdo’.
Popular
items
on
the
menu
include
Undiya,
sugar
cane
juice
and
regional
sweets.
Across
Gujarat
and
Maharashtra,
people
exchange
balls
of
sesame
and
jaggery,
symbolising
sweetness
and
forgiveness,
and
many
observe
customs
where
old
quarrels
are
set
aside.

Makar
Sankranti
harvest
festival
table
of
regional
names

Across
India,
the
same
solar
turn
carries
different
titles
and
linked
rituals,
as
shown
below.

Pongal
and
Makar
Sankranti
harvest
festival
in
Tamil
Nadu

Pongal
in
Tamil
Nadu
functions
as
both
a
harvest
celebration
and
a
thanksgiving
to
natural
forces.
Agriculture
shapes
the
festival,
as
farmers
rely
on
cattle,
rainfall
and
the
Sun.
The
first
day
of
the
Tamil
month
Thai
is
known
as
“Pongal
Day”,
when
the
dish
Pongal,
meaning
the
“boiling
over” of
milk
and
rice,
is
prepared.

Pongal
has
roots
stretching
back
more
than
2000
years.
Earlier
forms
included
Thai
Un
and
Thai
Niradal,
both
Dravidian
harvest
observances.
Modern
Pongal
usually
spans
four
days:
Bhogi
Pongal,
Thai
Pongal,
Mattu
Pongal
and
Kaanum
Pongal,
each
with
a
distinct
focus
on
cleansing,
worship,
gratitude
to
cattle
and
family
outings
or
traditional
recreation.

Pongal
rituals
and
Makar
Sankranti
harvest
festival
phases

Bhogi
Pongal
emphasises
clearing
away
old
belongings,
often
by
burning
unwanted
items
to
symbolise
an
end
to
winter.
Thai
Pongal
centres
on
honouring
the
Sun
god
for
prosperity,
with
fresh
harvest
rice
used
to
cook
Pongal
in
open
courtyards,
often
allowing
the
pot
to
overflow
as
a
sign
of
abundance
and
good
fortune.

Mattu
Pongal
is
dedicated
to
cattle,
especially
cows
that
support
ploughing
and
transport.
Animals
are
bathed,
decorated
and
worshipped.
Kaanum
Pongal
functions
as
a
day
for
outings
or
watching
events
like
Jallikattu.
Families
travel,
visit
relatives
and
enjoy
public
gatherings,
using
the
holiday
to
strengthen
bonds
after
the
pressure
of
the
harvest
season.

Magh
Bihu
and
Makar
Sankranti
harvest
festival
in
Assam

Assam
celebrates
Bhogali
Bihu
or
Magh
Bihu
while
other
regions
observe
Makar
Sankranti
or
Pongal.
Magh
Bihu
is
the
second
largest
Bihu
after
Bohag
Bihu
and
signifies
the
end
of
the
harvest
season.
By
this
time,
granaries
are
full,
and
villages
experience
a
mood
of
abundance,
with
feasts,
dances
and
community
gatherings
across
the
State.

People
build
bonfires
using
materials
that
include
cow
dung
cakes,
then
discard
useless
household
items
into
the
flames.
This
act
marks
fresh
starts
and
helps
warm
the
surroundings
during
the
final
stretch
of
winter,
when
nights
remain
cold.
On
Magh
Bihu,
communities
also
worship
Lord
Indra,
regarded
as
the
god
responsible
for
rains
and
good
crops.

Spiritual
practices
and
Makar
Sankranti
harvest
festival
journeys

Further
east,
at
Gangasagar,
thousands
of
pilgrims
travel
to
Kapil
Muni’s
ashram
on
Makar
Sankranti.
Devotees
seek
darshan
and
often
take
a
holy
dip
where
the
Ganga
meets
the
sea.
The
crowd
reflects
the
date’s
religious
importance,
tying
spiritual
cleansing,
the
solar
transition
and
gratitude
for
harvests
into
a
single
observance.

Across
India,
people
also
visit
temples,
offer
food,
donate
clothes
or
grain
and
share
sweets.
The
emphasis
on
charity
during
Makar
Sankranti
links
spiritual
merit
with
social
support,
as
better-off
families
offer
help
to
those
with
fewer
resources.
The
practice
further
ties
the
festival
to
ideas
of
fairness,
community
care
and
shared
seasonal
joy.

These
mid-January
festivals,
whether
called
Lohri,
Makar
Sankranti,
Pongal,
Magh
Bihu
or
Pousha
Sankriti,
all
link
culture
with
observable
seasonal
change.
They
show
how
different
regions
created
customs
that
honour
nature,
recognise
the
Sun’s
shifting
path
and
rely
on
clear
scientific
patterns,
while
also
keeping
alive
a
strong
and
shared
cultural
memory
across
generations.