When:
14th Jan - 17th Jan
Where:
All Over India
📅 Date & Time (When is it in 2025?)
Makar Sankranti: Wednesday, 15 January 2025
Pongal Festival: Tuesday, 14 January – Friday, 17 January 2025 (4 days)
Significance of Makar Sankranti
Makar Sankranti marks the transition of the Sun into Capricorn (Makar Rashi), symbolizing the beginning of the Uttarayan (northward movement of the Sun).
It is considered a festival of sun worship, charity, and harvest celebrations.
Different regions in India celebrate it under different names:
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Punjab → Lohri
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Gujarat → Uttarayan (Kite Festival)
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Tamil Nadu → Pongal
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Uttar Pradesh / Bihar → Khichdi Festival
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Assam → Magh Bihu
Pongal Festival (Tamil Nadu)
Pongal is a four-day-long harvest festival celebrated mainly in Tamil Nadu.
1. Bhogi Pongal (14 January)
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Cleaning homes and discarding old belongings.
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Bonfire is lit to signify the end of negativity.
2. Surya Pongal (15 January)
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Dedicated to Lord Surya (Sun God).
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Special dish Pongal is prepared with new rice, milk, and jaggery.
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Overflowing milk from the pot is seen as auspicious with chants of “Pongal O Pongal”.
3. Mattu Pongal (16 January)
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Worship of cattle (cows and bulls) for their role in agriculture.
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Cattle are decorated, honored, and traditional games are played.
4. Kaanum Pongal (17 January)
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Day for family reunions, picnics, and social bonding.
Traditions of Makar Sankranti
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Holy dip in rivers (especially Ganga) and offering prayers to the Sun.
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Donating til (sesame), jaggery, and khichdi.
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Kite flying in Gujarat and Northern India.
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Belief: Any charity performed on this day yields eternal blessings (Akhshay Punya).
Spiritual Message
Both Pongal and Makar Sankranti symbolize gratitude, prosperity, and new beginnings.
They remind us of the importance of nature, harvest, animals, and sunlight in our lives.
Tags: Pongal2025 MakarSankranti2025 HarvestFestival Uttarayan Lohri2025 Bihu2025
