Samagri (Materials Needed)
तिल, गुड़ (तिलकुट/तिल-गुड़ के लड्डू हेतु) खिचड़ी सामग्री (चावल, दाल, सब्जियां) काले तिल का उबटन (स्नान हेतु) नए वस्त्र दान हेतु वस्त्र, अनाज, तिल-गुड़, कंबल सूर्य देव को अर्घ्य हेतु ताम्र पात्र, जल, लाल फूल, रोली
Sesame seeds, jaggery (for til-gud laddoo) Khichdi ingredients (rice, lentils, vegetables) Black sesame paste (for bathing) New clothes Items for daan: clothes, grains, til-gud, blankets Copper vessel, water, red flowers, roli (for Surya arghya)
Step-by-Step Vidhi
1. Take an early morning bath, ideally in a holy river or with water mixed with black sesame seeds, symbolizing purification. 2. Offer Arghya (water offering with red flowers and roli) to the rising sun using a copper vessel, chanting the Surya mantra or "Om Suryaya Namah". 3. Prepare and offer khichdi to the deity before eating it as prasad — this is why the festival is popularly called "Khichdi" in North India. 4. Distribute til-gud (sesame-jaggery) laddoos to family and neighbors, saying "til-gud ghya, god god bola" (accept this sweet and speak sweetly) in Maharashtra, symbolizing goodwill. 5. Perform daan (charity) of grains, sesame, jaggery, clothes and blankets to the needy, considered especially meritorious on this day.
Auspicious Timing & Mantras
Performed at sunrise on the fixed solar date of Makar Sankranti (Sun's transit into Capricorn), typically 14th or 15th January. One of the few festivals with a fixed date rather than a lunar one. Believed to mark the start of the auspicious Uttarayana period and bring good health and prosperity.