Vedic Holidays: Makara Sankranti – New Beginnings
January 14, 2024
The Sun enters Capricorn on January 14th in the United States.
On January 14th, the Sun enters Capricorn—a bigger event than you might think. In the Vedic calendar, this is the true beginning of the new year, when the days start to get longer and more light falls on the earth.
Surya, the sun god, is considered a symbol of divinity and wisdom and is one of the most important planets (celestial bodies) in the zodiac and in our daily lives. It represents a new New Year—”New beginning” To do this, we want to strengthen the sun in our lives.
Surya actually means Self and represents the Big Self and our small personal selves in our Vedic charts. As the Self or Atman, Surya represents and embodies the divine qualities inherent in all of us. Therefore, it is good to give some attention to this element within us. As such, it represents a day to celebrate our individuality and inner divinity.
For Westerners, it’s the equivalent of us cleaning out our closets January 14th Then throw things to the dump or give things to second-hand stores, which becomes a symbol of discarding old things, and then January 15th Celebrate our own individuality and the divine within us and revisit our New Year’s resolutions or make a list of intentions if we didn’t achieve them January 1 As Western culture tends to do.
It also marks the rise of solar energy and the beginning of a new prosperous business cycle. Just like the waxing and waning of the moon, the sun is also believed to have two cycles: January 14th – July 14th The waxing phase represents the growth of solar energy that supports the business.
Apart from the harvest festival, Makara Sankranti is also seen as the beginning of an auspicious phase in Indian culture. It is called the “Holy Stage of Transition.”It marks the end of an ominous phase which, according to the Hindu calendar, begins with mid december. It is believed that starting from this day, any auspicious and sacred ritual can be sanctified.
It represents the realization, transformation and purification of the soul through the assimilation and infusion of divine virtues. So think of Monday as a time to let go of the old, let go of the past, and move on.
Enjoy the rich symbolism and rituals of Makara Sankranti (Sun entering Capricorn). Special thanks to Wikipedia for providing some great knowledge on this topic.