Makar Sankranti/Pongal/Uttarayan

Makara Sankranti is one of the few Hindu festivals set by the Sun’s movement rather than the Moon’s, which is why it nearly always falls on the same date in the English calendar. “Sankranti” means the transit of the Sun from one zodiac sign to the next. Of the twelve Sankrantis in a year, Makara Sankranti is the most sacred, because it marks the start of Uttarayana, the six-month period when the Sun travels northward. Hindu tradition regards Uttarayana as the auspicious “day” of the gods, in contrast to Dakshinayana, their “night”. From this point the days grow longer and warmer, the winter crops are ready to be harvested, and people thank the Sun for light, warmth and food.

Devotees take a holy bath, offer water (arghya) to the rising Sun, give daana to the needy, and share til-gud (sesame and jaggery) sweets. In Tamil Nadu the festival is called Pongal, from the Tamil word for “to boil over.” It lasts four days: Bhogi, Thai Pongal, Mattu Pongal and Kaanum Pongal. In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana it is a three- or four-day Sankranti festival with Bhogi, Makara Sankranti, Kanuma and Mukkanuma. Elsewhere it appears as Lohri and Maghi in Punjab, Magh Bihu in Assam, Uttarayan (the kite festival) in Gujarat, and Ellu Bella in Karnataka. The Ganga Sagar Mela in West Bengal is held on this day.

Makara Sankranti is among the oldest festivals in India. Sun worship appears in the Vedas, where Surya is the visible deity, the source of light, time and life. The solstitial change, the northward turn of the Sun, was central to the ancient Vedic calendar. Over time the actual date has shifted slightly because of the precession of the equinoxes, but the festival has kept its fixed place in the solar calendar.

Several stories surround the day. In the Mahabharata, the warrior Bhishma Pitamaha lay on a bed of arrows and waited for Uttarayana before giving up his life, because departure in this period was believed to lead to liberation. According to a Puranic account, Surya visits the home of his son Shani on this day, which is why it is seen as a time for reconciliation between father and son. Another story tells how King Bhagiratha’s penance brought the Ganga down to earth to free his ancestors, and the river finally merged with the sea at Gangasagar on this day, so bathing at Gangasagar, Prayag and Haridwar is considered especially holy. A tradition in the Devi Purana describes Goddess Sankranti slaying the demon Sankarasura.

In the south, Pongal has deep roots in agrarian life. Early Tamil literature mentions a winter festival and the practice of Thai Neeradal (a holy bath in Thai month), and over time it grew into the harvest thanksgiving known today. Mattu Pongal is linked with the story of Lord Krishna lifting Govardhana hill to protect cattle and villagers from Indra’s storm, and Bhogi honours Indra, the lord of rain. The festival has also spread widely among the Tamil, Telugu and Kannada diaspora and is observed in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius and elsewhere.

Procedure Details (Step by Step):
Customs differ by region and family. The steps below follow the common Pongal and Sankranti pattern.

Day 1: Bhogi

Clear out old and unused household items, and burn them in a bonfire at dawn (Bhogi mantalu). This stands for letting go of the old and welcoming the new.
Clean and whitewash the house and decorate the entrance with mango leaves and flowers.
Draw kolam or rangoli at the door, with cow dung and pumpkin flowers in some regions.
In Andhra Pradesh, the Bhogi Pallu ceremony is held in the evening, in which children are showered with fruits, flowers and coins.

Day 2: Makara Sankranti / Thai Pongal (the main day)
5. Rise before sunrise and take a purifying bath, ideally in a river or with Ganga water added. Many people apply sesame oil and wear new clothes.
6. Draw a large kolam in the courtyard. Set up a place facing east where the Sun’s rays will fall.
7. Place a new clay pot (or brass pot) on a hearth of three stones or a clean stove. Tie a turmeric plant (with leaves) and a sprig of mango leaves around its neck.
8. Pour in fresh milk and water. Cook rice with jaggery, moong dal, ghee, cashews, raisins and cardamom, and let the milk boil over. As it rises, family members call out “Pongalo Pongal!” and blow a conch, symbolising abundance and prosperity.
9. Offer the Pongal to Surya Bhagavan on a banana leaf along with sugarcane, bananas, coconut and betel leaves. Light camphor and incense and perform arati.
10. Offer arghya by pouring water from a copper vessel toward the rising Sun while chanting Surya mantras, and perform Surya Namaskara.
11. Recite the Aditya Hridayam or Surya Ashtakam, then share the Pongal as prasadam with family and neighbours.
12. Perform daana: donate grains, sesame, jaggery, clothes, blankets and food, especially to Brahmins, temples and the poor. Many people also feed birds and cattle.
13. In Maharashtra and Karnataka, exchange til-gud or ellu-bella with the saying “Til gul ghya, goad goad bola” (take sesame and jaggery, speak sweetly).

Day 3: Mattu Pongal / Kanuma
14. Bathe and decorate cattle, paint their horns, and garland them with flowers and bells.
15. Feed them Pongal, sugarcane and fruit, and offer arati to thank them for their work in the fields. Jallikattu is held in some parts of Tamil Nadu on this day.

Day 4: Kaanum Pongal / Mukkanuma
16. Visit relatives and friends, and honour elders. In Tamil villages, women place rice on turmeric leaves for birds, praying for their brothers’ wellbeing.