Uttarayan / Makar Sankranti

Uttarayan is Gujarat's vibrant celebration of Makara Sankranti, the solar transition into Makara and the seasonal movement traditionally associated with the sun's northward journey. Unlike many Hindu festivals fixed primarily by a lunar tithi, this observance follows the solar calendar and usually falls in mid-January. Across India the same transition is celebrated under different names and customs; in Gujarat, however, the defining image is the sky filled with kites. Families gather on rooftops from early morning, fly kites, call out to neighbouring terraces and share seasonal foods such as undhiyu, jalebi, chikki and sesame preparations. The following day is often observed as Vasi Uttarayan. The festival combines an astronomical-seasonal marker with harvest-time gratitude, social gathering and the joy of longer, brighter days. Its regional character is so strong that Uttarayan has become one of the most recognisable public celebrations of Gujarat.

Uttarayan / Makar Sankranti is valued for devotion, family tradition and the spiritual or seasonal meaning attached to the day.

Gujarat spends the day on its roofs. Kites go up at first light and stay up until dark, and the phrase shouted when a line is cut - kai po chhe - is the sound of the day in Ahmedabad and Surat. Undhiyu and jalebi are eaten, sesame and jaggery are given away, and lanterns go up after sunset. The second day, Vasi Uttarayan, is the same again with yesterday's food.

Makar Sankranti nearly everywhere; Uttarayan in Gujarat, where the kite is the whole day. Pongal in Tamil Nadu over four days, Magh Bihu in Assam with feasting and bonfires, Lohri in Punjab the evening before, Poush Sankranti in Bengal. One of the few festivals fixed to the solar year, which is why it barely moves in January.