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Makar Sankranti

According to the lunar calendar, the sun moves from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn, or from Dakshinayana to Uttarayana, in the month of Poush in mid-January. This end of the winter solstice also coincides with the harvest season and cessation of the northeast monsoon in South India. The movement of the earth from one zodiac sign into another is called Sankranti, and is celebrated as Makar, or Uttarayana, Sankranti, or Lohri, in the North, and as Pongal in the South. At Ganga Sagar, where the Ganga enters the sea, a grand fair is held. The festival is also called Til Sankranti or Kichri Sankranti, after its main ingredient or preparation.