Makar Sakranti is a Hindu religious festival that is celebrated every year, in the month of January, and in the honor of the Sun god, or Surya. It is also a specific day in the Hindu Calendar, in which the sun’s transition into the Maka, Capricon, which ends the Winter Solstice for the religion. Being one of the oldest festivals to be celebrated with devotion from the community, it is also the one that follows the cycles of Sun, while other festivals are set according to the transition in the lunar cycle. In the Sikh, community, the festival is famously known as Lohri, in which the community collects wood and sets up a fire in which they throw popcorn and other Indian sweets, wishing for a happy future. They also dance around the flames, in their traditional “Bhangara”
The day is celebrated by making delicious Indian delicacies like Kheer, Laddu, and having chikki and popcorn. People usually wear bright colors for the end of Winters, and the eventual beginning of spring, even if its yet to come. Kite flying is also a tradition that is followed by many people and children across the Hindu households in the country, while singing and dancing is another celebratory activities that are usually performed.
People go to temples and pray to god for a bright year, while also going to swim in the sacred rivers of Yamuna and Ganga, to wash off their sins and to take the blessings of the river gods. It is also noted that the day is very auspicious if someone wants to start something new. Makar Sakranti is also said to be about 2 thousand years old, and its festivities can be traced back to the era of Mahabharata.
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