Makar Sankranti

In 2024, the festival of Makar Sankranti is on 15 January, which is on Monday.

Makara Sankranti is a Hindu Festival that celebrates Sun's transition into Makar (Capricorn). It is one of the few traditional Hindu festivals that are observed as per solar cycles. The season marks the end of winter and the beginning of longer days. It is also the beginning of the month of Magha.

Makar Sankranti is a harvest festival that is celebrated across the country with different names. Each state celebrates the festival as per their culture and tradition.

Importance of Makar Sankranti

Makar Sankranti is devoted to the God Sun or Surya. The festival also symbolises the starting of a six-month auspicious period for Hindus called the Uttarayana period. It is considered as a significant period for spiritual practices. 

On the occasion of Makara Sankranti, lakhs of people take a holy dip at the Sangam - the confluence of Ganga and Jamuna. The holy dip is considered to result in forgiveness of past sins. People also submit their prayers to God Surya and thank for their wealth and triumph. As per the Hindu calendar, there are 12 Sankranti in a year. Out of all the Sankranti, Makar Sankranti is considered as the most significant one and is celebrated throughout the country. 

Uttarayan

Uttarayan is observed one day after Lohri celebrations and on the same day as Makar Sankranti. While Makar Sankranti, also known as Uttarayan festivities, is usually commemorated on January 14, this year it is being observed on January 15. 

The Sanskrit terms "uttaram" (north) and "ayanam" (movement) are the source of the term Uttarayana, also known as Uttarayanam, which refers to the northward movement of the Sun. In the Gregorian calendar, this means "the actual movement of the sun in relation to the earth". Also known as the six-month period between the winter and summer solstices (roughly 20 December - 20 January). The harvest festival, Uttarayan, also known as Makar Sankranti, is one of the most anticipated occasions in Gujarat. Activities include flying kites, making sweets and indulging in delicious khichdi. The Uttarayan festival is much more than just worship and sweets, as Gujaratis look forward to shouting "Kai Po Che" to the kites flying in the sky.

Pongal

 

Pongal (also referred to as Thai Pongal, is a multi-day Hindu harvest festival celebrated by Tamils. It is It is observed in the month of Thai according to the Tamil Solar Calendar and usually falls on 14 or 15 January. This year it is being celebrated from Monday, 15 January 2024 to Thursday 18 January 2024.

It is dedicated to the Surya, the Sun God and corresponds to Makar Sankranti, the harvest festival under many regional names celebrated throughout India. The festival is celebrated over three or four days with Bhogi,  Surya Pongal, Maatu Pongal and Kaanum Pongal, observed on consecutive days.

Saifuddin Kitchlew Birth Anniversary

Saifuddin Kitchlew, born on 15 January 1888, was an Indian freedom fighter, barrister, politician and later a leader of the peace movement. A member of Indian National Congress, he first became Punjab Provincial Congress Committee (Punjab PCC) head and later the General Secretary of the AICC in 1924. He is most remembered for the protests in Punjab after the implementation of Rowlatt Act in March 1919, after which on 10 April, he and another leader Satyapal, were secretly sent to Dharamsala. A public protest rally against their arrest and that of Gandhi, on 13 April 1919 at Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, led to the infamous Jallianwala Bagh massacre. He was also a founding member of Jamia Millia Islamia. He was awarded the Stalin Peace Prize (now known as Lenin Peace Prize) in 1952.

Gulzarilal Nanda Death Anniversary

 

Gulzarilal Nanda, who passed away on 15 January 1998, was an Indian politician and economist who specialized in labour issues. He was the acting Prime Minister of India for two short periods following the deaths of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964 and Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1966. Both his terms ended after the ruling Indian National Congress's parliamentary party elected a new prime minister. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, in 1997.

Martin Luther King Jr Birth Anniversary

 

Martin Luther King Jr., born on 15 January 1929, was an American Christian minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the Civil Rights Movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, King is best known for advancing civil rights through nonviolence and civil disobedience, inspired by his Christian beliefs and the nonviolent activism of Mahatma Gandhi.

Indian Army Day

 

Army Day is celebrated on 15 January every year in India, in recognition of Field Marshal Kodandera M. Cariappa's (then a Lieutenant General) taking over as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from General Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander-in-Chief of India, on 15 January 1949.