Makar Sankranti is one of the most important Hindu festivals and is celebrated widely across India and Nepal on 14 January. The day marks the end of the winter solstice and the monsoon, and the beginning of the harvest season. It is known by different names in different parts of India, commonly being referred to as Thai Pongal in Tamil Nadu and other areas of southern India, and Lohri in Punjab, where it is celebrated the day before. The festival is celebrated through a variety of different traditions, the most popular one being the flying of kites.
In this gallery, we first look at devotees preparing for Makar Sankranti festivities in two locations: Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh state, and Ganga Sagar (or Sagar Island) near Kolkata. Devotees and sadhus (Hindu holy men) mark the day by taking a dip at Ganga Sagar, the point where the River Ganges meets the Bay of Bengal. In Uttar Pradesh state, up to two million Hindus gather to bathe at Sangam, the confluence of the Rivers Ganges and Yamuna — and the invisible or mythical Saraswati River.
A Hindu pilgrim lies down in the Ganges river at Sagar Island, south of KolkataRupak De Chowdhuri/ReutersA Hindu man and his son hold burning incense sticks and a candle as they pray after taking a dip in the waters of river Howrah for the Makar Sankranti festival in Chakmaghat village in the northeastern state of TripuraJayanta Dey/ReutersAn aerial view of the temporary camp set up for Hindu devotees at Sangam – the confluence of the Rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati – during the Magh Mela festival in AllahabadSanjay Kanojia/AFPAn aerial view of a giant tent city built for pilgrims attending the Magh Mela, a month-long Hindu festival, on a foggy winter morning in AllahabadJitendra Prakash/ReutersAn aerial view of Hindu devotees at Sangam, where the rivers Ganga and Yamuna meet, during the Magh Mela festival in AllahabadSanjay Kanojia/AFPA sadhu – Hindu holy man – smokes cannabis at a temporary camp on Gangasagar Island, around 150km south of KolkataDibyangshu Sarkar/AFPA sadhu – or Hindu holy man – gestures from his temporary camp on Gangasagar Island, around 150 km south of KolkataDibyangshu Sarkar/AFPA sadhu – or Hindu holy man – offers a cigarette to his pet monkey as he waits to bathe in the Bay of Bengal and perform rituals at the mouth of the river Ganges on Sagar Island, around 150km south of KolkataDibyangshu Sarkar/AFPA Sadhu's pet monkey smokes as they wait to bathe in the Bay of BengalDibyangshu Sarkar/AFPA sadhu, or Hindu holy man, exercises at his temporary camp on Gangasagar IslandDibyangshu Sarkar/AFPA Sadhu or a Hindu holy man takes a dip at the confluence of the river Ganges and the Bay of BengalRupak De Chowdhuri/ReutersA Sadhu or a Hindu holy man undergoes an eye examination at a free eye-care camp organised by social workers at a makeshift shelter, before heading for an annual trip to Sagar Island for the festival of Makar SankrantiRupak De Chowdhuri/ReutersA Hindu pilgrim offers prayers after taking a dip in the Ganges riverRupak De Chowdhuri/ReutersA Hindu pilgrim feeds biscuits to an ox to seek blessing before heading for an annual trip to Sagar IslandRupak De Chowdhuri/ReutersPeople throw water and sand to extinguish a fire that broke out in a tent on the banks of the river Ganges at Sagar Island, south of KolkataRupak De Chowdhuri/ReutersA Hindu pilgrim takes a dip at the confluence of the river Ganges and the Bay of Bengal on the occasion of Makar Sankranti at Sagar Island, south of KolkataRupak De Chowdhuri/ReutersA boy runs to join other Hindu devotees taking a dip in the sacred watersDibyangshu Sarkar/AFPA woman bathes at the confluence of the River Ganges and the Bay of Bengal, south of KolkataDibyangshu Sarkar/AFPA devotee stands on a water tanker searching for his family as Hindus arrive to perform rituals on Gangasagar Island, around 150 kms south of KolkataDibyangshu Sarkar/AFP
The festival of Lohri marks the beginning of the harvest festival in India's northern state of Punjab. Celebrated annually on 13 January, Lohri marks the end of the coldest month of the year, prompting people to celebrate as they offer thanks to the gods for the crops they are about to harvest. Many Hindus in northern India celebrate the festival with bonfire ceremonies and kites.
Young Indian students wearing traditional Punjabi dress dance during celebrations of the Lohri festival in AmritsarNarinder Nanu/AFPYoung Indian women pose as they fly kites during celebrations on the eve of the Lohri festival in AmritsarNarinder Nanu/AFPWomen clad in traditional Punjabi attires dance to celebrate the Lohri festival in AmritsarNarinder Nanu/AFPYouths fly kites during celebrations of the Lohri festival in Amritsar, northern IndiaNarinder Nanu/AFPWorkers of Torrent Power Limited remove kites tangled up in electric power cables after the end of the kite flying season in AhmedabadAmit Dave/Reuters
In southern India, Thai Pongal is marked by a prayer of gratitude for providing the energy for agriculture. The participants pay tribute to the Sun, Surya, and pay homage to cattle for their vital role in agriculture and farming. The festival is held on the first day of Thai (the tenth month of the Tamil calendar), marking the commencement of the sun's northward journey from its southernmost end, referred to as Uttarayana. Part of the celebration consists of the boiling of the first rice of the season or cooking traditional sweet dishes on open fires.
Indian women prepare food during celebrations of the Tamil harvest festival, Pongal, at a college in ChennaiArun Sankar/AFPDevotees prepare rice dishes to offer to the Hindu Sun God as they attend Pongal celebrations in MumbaiShailesh Andrade/ReutersDevotees prepare rice dishes to offer to the Hindu Sun God as they attend Pongal celebrations in MumbaiShailesh Andrade/ReutersVendors gather bundles of sugarcane from a truck, for the celebration of the festival of Pongal, at the wholesale market in ChennaiArun Sankar/AFPA bull charges through a crowd of participants and bystanders during Jallikattu, an annual bull fighting ritual, on the outskirts of MaduraiArun Sankar/AFP
