Why is the festival of Makar Sankranti celebrated? Know its religious and scientific importance

Sankranti is a unique Hindu festival that follows the solar calendar, most of the other Hindu festivals are based on the solar cycle calendar and Makar Sankranti is celebrated accordingly. ‘Makar’ means Capricorn and ‘Sankranti’ means transition, hence ‘Makar Sankranti’ means the transition of the Sun to the Capricorn sign of the zodiac, which is considered the most auspicious day according to Hinduism and after Makar Sankranti. All the auspicious works like puja, recitation, marriage etc. start.

Contrary to popular belief, Makar Sankranti is not only a Hindu festival but is actually a universal event as it is based entirely on astronomy and the science of crop cycles which is not limited to any particular religion. Long before contemporary scientists came forward with their observations about the solar system a few hundred years ago, scholars of ancient India already knew that the Sun is the center of our celestial sphere and the source of energy for all planets, including our planet Earth. , which takes days to revolve around the Sun.

This entire cycle of 360 degrees which is also called solar calendar is divided into 12 phases or domains or zodiac signs of 30 degrees each (360/12=30) and each zodiac sign is associated with certain characteristics depending on the position of the Earth and the Sun . relative to each other, which in turn also determines weather and radiation patterns.

Since radiation is proportional to the amount of sunlight, an easier way to analyze radiation patterns would be to find the amount of sunlight received each day, which is again proportional to day length. If we plot this on a chart with sunlight on the Y axis and dates on the And corresponds to the beginning. January range. As a result, Makar Sankranti is celebrated all over India under different names but with similar rituals and purposes and symbolizes unity amidst the diversity of our rich cultural heritage and is also known as Maghi Bihu (Assam), Maghi (Punjab). , Sankrant (Haryana), Til Sankrant (Bihar), Uttarayan (Jammu, Gujarat), Shishir Sankrant (Kashmir), Pongal (Tamil Nadu), Makaravolaku (Kerala) etc. In foreign countries it is known as Maghe Sankranti (Nepal), Paush Sankranti (Bangladesh), Songkranti (Siam/Thailand), Thingyan (Burma), Mohan Songkranti (Cambodia).

Makar Sankranti is celebrated to thank nature for its abundant resources and is a special time for farmers as it marks the beginning of the harvest season. Farmers across the country thank Sun God and pray for a good harvest. Since cows and bulls are central to farmer families, they are also worshiped in different parts of the country. That is, today the Sun is moving from Dakshinayan to Uttarayan, that is, auspicious works and happiness are going to start, crops will start blooming, I pray to God that the country becomes prosperous with wealth and grains…

Best wishes for Makaraskranti.