January 14th every year is “Makar Sankranti”

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(Source-Kalyane Astro Centre) “Makar Sankranti”, a great festival of India, always falls on the 14th of January. It is the day of the year when the sun, which is considered the king of all planets, is in the ‘rashi’ (zodiac sign) known as ‘Makar’ (Capricorn). This is considered the most beneficial and auspicious zodiac of the sun. As the calculations for determining Makar Sankranti are done according to the solar calendar, so it always falls on the 14th January according to the English calendar. It is usually the month of ‘Magh’ of the Hindu calendar, but the 'Tithi' or the position of the moon keeps shifting because of the difference in calculations. This day is one of the most auspicious times of the year. The co-relation of cosmic events with individual life and values is one of the most astounding traits of Hindu Masters. Once this co-relation is brought about, these cosmic events become instrumental to remind us the best which we cherish & value. Of all the cosmic bodies Sun is the most glorious & important, thus every sun-centric cosmic event became very important spiritual, religious & cultural events. On Makar Sankranti day the Sun begins its ascendancy and journey into the Northern Hemisphere, and thus it signifies an event wherein the Gods seem to remind their children that 'Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya, (Translation: “May you go higher & higher - to more & more Light and never to darkness”.) Thousands of pilgrims from different parts of the country gather at Gangasagar(near Kolkata), the point where the holy river Ganges meets the sea; & at Prayag (Allahabad), pray to God Sun, next take a dip and wash away all the earthly sins. Makar Sankranti is celebrated all over India, north, south, east and west; the manner of celebration may differ, but the sanctity of the occasion is accepted by all the Hindus as the most auspicious time. It is celebrated with pomp in southern parts of the country as Pongal, and in Punjab is celebrated as Lohri & Maghi. Gujarati's not only look reverentially up to the sun, but also offer thousands of their colorful oblations in the form of beautiful kites all over the skyline. They may be trying to reach upto their glorious God or bring about greater proximity with the one who represents the best. It is a day for which Bhishma Pitamah kept waiting to leave his mortal coil. Right now I am in Andhra Pradesh; here it is celebrated as a three-day harvest festival Pongal. It is a big event for the people of Andhra Pradesh. The Telugus like to call it 'Pedda Panduga' meaning big festival. The whole event lasts for four days, the first day Bhogi, the second day Sankranti, the third day Kanuma and the fourth day, Mukkanuma. The house owner has invited all of us to eat with them this evening. He is my age, we will fly kite too. I am from Orissa, the people of Orissa, known as Oriyas start their New Year from the day of Sankranti by lighting bonfires, dancing and eating their particular dishes sitting together. The ‘almanac’ of Orissa is released from this day. Happy New Year and happy Pongal to all Friends, many of our Indian Hindus are unaware of these things. [i][b]Hope, you will enjoy this. Please comment. Thank you so much in advance. [/b][/i]Professor ‘Bhuwan’. . Cheers have a lucky day ahead.