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Makar Sankranti

Makar Sankranti (also called Magha, Thai Pongal in Tamil Nadu, or simply Sankranti) is a festival in the Hindu calendar that celebrates the harvest and is dedicated to the Sun God, Surya.

The occasion is named as such due to the sun's transit towards the Northern Hemisphere and away from Makar (the Tropic of Capricorn in Gregorian calendars); Makar Sankranti therefore literally translates to the Sun's movement away from Makar. The festival of Makar Sankranti symbolises new beginnings and therefore is often observed with religious practices, chanting and bathing in the holy Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri rivers which is believed to wash away past sins.

As well as this, the festival is marked with melas (festivals), eating sweets, flying colourful kites and sometimes with bonfires.

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