Makara sankranti

Hindu festivals are associated with the annual cycle of seasons. Pongal in the South and Sankranti in the North are celebrated to mark the withdrawal of the southeast monsoons as well as the reaping of the harvest. Pongal festivities are spread over several days. The advent of Pongal is associated with spring-cleaning and burning of junk, symbolizing the destruction of evil.
Decorative designs or rangolis are traced on floors and on the day of the Pongal, the newly harvested rice is cooked in homes to acclaim the bounty of the gods.
UTTARAAYANA PUNYA-KAALA This holy day marks the commencement of the Sun’s northern course in the Heavens - the Uttaraayana patha. This turn in the Sun’s course takes place at the point of time when it enters the sign of Makara or Capricorn. From this day, the day-duration increases and the night decreases. It is the harbinger of more light and sunshine in life and lessening of its darker aspects. Light symbolizes the warmth, i.e., the love and affection, the quality of the heart.
Sankraanti, signifying light, also gives the message of intellectual illumination. It is the capacity to discriminate between the right and the wrong, the just and the unjust, truth and falsehood, virtue and vice. It is this discriminative wisdom - Viveka - which leads the individual on the path of human evolution and human happiness.
Swami Vivekananda was born on the Sankramana day. In short, Makara Sankramana embodies the ardent prayer of every Hindu heart:

Asato maa sadgamaya Tamaso maa jyotirgamaya Mrityoormaa amritam gamaya

Lead me, O Lord, from untruth to Truth from darkness to Light and from death to Immortality.
It is this light that proclaimed to the world:
vasudhaiva kutumbakam
sarvE bhavantu sukhinaha sarvE santu nirAmayAH sarvE bhadrANi pashyantu mAkaschid dukha bhAgbhavEth
World is but one family! Humanity is ONE!
Let all be happy, healthy and prosperous! Oneness in humanity!
This is ably demonstrated by the following facts:
• Slav people had their sun deities. They were called Svarog, Dazhbog, and Khors.
• The word GOD (bag) is same in all Slavic languages. You can see the resemblance with Iranian baga and Indian bhagwan.
• In the Volga region of Russia, when the Sun was moving in the direction of spring, people came together to forecast the future harvest. The Mari and Chuvashes, tribal groups in Volga region prepared special food for this festival of harvest. These festivals were connected with first ploughing and sowing. The festivities took place in the field. A little bit of food was sacrificed to Mother Earth.
• The Zulus of South Africa worshipped the Goddess Nomkubulwana. They believed that this goddess made land fertile and was the mythical originator of agriculture. Only women did all farming work among Zulu tribes and they only performed rites and chanted prayers for a good harvest.
• All people of the Caucasus regions worshipped guardians of harvest and other kind of livestock, similar to Maattu Pongal, thanksgiving to cattle prevalent in Tamil Nadu / Tamil people.
• Celtic gods (Ireland) were guardians of fertility and agriculture. River Gods and Spring Gods were existent. Esus was the god of plant life.
• In Mexico, the agrarian influence could be seen in the Uitzilopochtti cult. During the celebrations held twice a year, an enormous dummy of the God was made out of flour dough and honey. After the religious rites are over, the figure was broken into pieces and eaten by all the participants.
• In the Chinese civilization, the cult of Shen-nong i.e Divine Farmer is note worthy. The legendary Divine Farmer is supposed to have invented agriculture. A special sacrificial altar was devoted to him in Peking, where the emperor solemnly brought offerings. In early spring every year an important state ceremony was held to mark the first ploughing season. The Chinese Emperor accompanied by prominent dignitaries ploughed a furrow on a sacred plot of the land. The God of the land was known as She and peasants offered sacrifices to her as part of spring and autumn rituals.
• In the Shintoist religion of Japan the most revered Gods are Amaterasu i.e Sun Goddess and Inari i.e Rice Man, the guardian of farming portrayed with two rice stalks and often together with a Fox.
• In the ancient Egyptian religion, the God Osiris deserves mention. Every year Egyptians celebrated the death and resurrection of Osiris. The image of Osiris was made out of sown wheat on the layer of soil that was sprinkled into a special wooden frame. These festivities lasted 18 days and involved ritual plouging and sowing. Osiris is the direct personification of grain.
• In Asia Minor, the Mother of the Gods was named Ma, Rhea, and Cybele. Her husband was a young god of fertility named as Attis. There is also another myth about the deity of plant life and fertility. God Telepinus once suddenly disappeared it is stated. Because of his disappearance grass dried up. Fields failed to yield crops. Cattle stopped multiplying. Woman no longer bore children. To put an end to this state of affairs the other gods organized a search for this God. A bee found him and awakened him, so goes the myth.
• In Greek religion, in the agricultural cult Demeter, the goddess was offered with bloodless offerings like fruits, grapes, honey combs and freshly reared sheep wool. These offerings were placed on an altar and covered with olive oil. Numerous such stories, myths and beliefs could be found in various civilizations. The Greek Goddess Hera wife of God Zeus was apparently a cow goddess. Signs of cow worship were found in excavations. It is heartening to note that Tamils worshipping cow goddess in Maattu Pongal times is a practice found in Greek civilization too.
• In the Roman religion, in the first month of spring March, festivities were held in honour of Mars. Faunus was the guardian angel of livestocks and he was the god of shepherds. At the end of winter, a jolly holiday Lupercalis was celebrated in her honour. Liber was the god of wine making. Saturnus the god of sowing. Jupiter the god of grapes.
Mankind had been striving to be grateful to Nature and agricultural festivities like Pongal demonstrate this common urge of human race, which is one and indivisible. While Tamil people hail Pongalo Pongal and thank Nature for its kindness, Harvest festivals of various civilizations remind us that our festival has universal appeal.