Sankranti 2024 March: Date & Time, Puja Vidhi, Importance

Meena Sankranti is the third Sankranti in 2024 and it falls on 14th of March. There are 12 Sankranti observed in a year.

There are total 12 Sankranti in 2024 and it includes Makar Sankranti, Kumbha Sankranti, Meena Sankranti, Mesha Sankranti, Vrishabha Sankranti, Mithuna Sankranti, Karka Sankranti, Singh Sankranti, Kanya Sankranti, Tula Sankranti, Vrischika Sankranti, and Dhanu Sankranti.

Sankranti March 2024: Meena Sankranti is the Sankranti in March which falls on 14th of March. Sankranti is a major festival of Hindus that is celebrated across the country with taking a holy bath in sacred rivers and donating to the poor. There are a total of 12 Sankranti that fall within the period of one year.

Sankranti falling in each month is known by different names and has importance and significance of its own. Out of all Sankrantis, Makar Sankranti is considered as the most important Sankranti and is celebrated by the Hindus with great joy and merriment. The article below presents some insight on Sankranti 2024 such as dates, way of celebration, etc.

List of All 12 Sankranti 2024 with its Dates and Days

The date for all 12 Sankrantis that will fall in the year 2024 along with the day on which they will fall are given below.

Here is the Sankranti 2024 dates according to Hindu calendar:

MonthNameDateDay
Sankranti January 2024Makar Sankranti15 JanuaryMonday
FebruaryKumbha Sankranti13 FebruaryTuesday
MarchMeena Sankranti14 MarchThursday
AprilMesha Sankranti13 AprilSaturday
MayVrishabha Sankranti14 MayTuesday
JuneMithuna Sankranti15 JuneSaturday
JulyKarka Sankranti16 JulyTuesday
AugustSingh Sankranti17 AugustFriday
SeptemberKanya Sankranti16 SeptemberMonday
OctoberTula Sankranti17 OctoberThursday
NovemberVrischika Sankranti16 NovemberSaturday
DecemberDhanu Sankranti15 DecemberSunday

Importance of Sankranti

Sankranti is believed to be an auspicious day and the duration of Punya Kaal or Mahapunya Kaal is considered even more auspicious.Normally, Sankranti falls at dates between 13th and 17th of each month.

On the day of Sankranti, devotees take a dip in holy water believing this will help them get rid of their previous life’s sins and seek forgiveness from god. Peace, prosperity and good health also prevails in the home of those who observe and celebrate Sankranti following all rituals with complete reverence.

Preforming pooja rituals, donating food and other material to poor and needy are some major activities associated with this festival and is supposed to bring good fortune to the devotees, especially if done in the duration of Punya Kaal or Mahapunya Kaal. Sankranti Punya Kaal varies from one location to another depending on the position of the Sun.

Kumbha Sankranti Overview

Kumbha Sankranti falls on 13th of February this year. Though, all 12 Sankrantis are auspicious, still Kumbha Sankranti has its own importance. Offering to cows and taking bath in Ganges particularly in Triveni is considered truly auspicious on this day. This day also marks the beginning of the 11th month in Hindu Solar Calendar.

On this day, Hindus from all across the country gather in Haridwar, Allahabad, Nasik, and Ujjain for taking a holy bath in the Ganges. It brings happiness and good luck in one’s life.

Makar Sankranti Overview

Makar Sankranti is the most significant of all Sankrantis and is celebrated in the month of January.It is observed every year on the day when the Sun enters the Capricorn zodiac, usually around 14th of January. Since Makar Sankranti is observed according to solar cycles, its date remains the same as per the Gregorian calendar (except in some years).

A festival related to harvesting of crops, Makar Sankranti is known and celebrated by different names in different states of the country.This festival signifies the end of winter and is celebrated in the hopes of brighter and happier days.Makar Sankranti is also a festival of melas and many fairs are held on this day in different regions of the country.

On the day of Makar Sankranti people worship the Sun and offer arghya at the time of sunrise. Most people take a dip in the holy waters of Prayag Raj where Kumbha Mela is also observed every 12 years (time period in which Jupiter completes one revolution of the Sun). Kumbha Mela is held at one of four holy locations, namely Haridwar, Prayag, Ujjain and Nashik. Other than this, the Magha Mela or mini-Kumbha Mela is held annually at Prayag and fairs of small and large scales are held at other places as well.

Apart from dipping in the holy rivers and donating food, kite flying and visiting mela (fairs)are also somemajor ritualsrelated to Makar Sankranti.

Makar Sankranti in Different States

Different names of Makar Sankranti by which it is known in different parts of the country are given as follows. Although this festival is celebrated by different names, the celebration and festivities of this day are quite similar to each other.

  • Assam- Magh Bihu
  • Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh- Maghi (preceded by Lohri)
  • Central India- Sukarat
  • Tamil Nadu- Thai Pongal
  • Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh- Uttarayan
  • Uttarakhand- Ghughuti
  • Andhra Pradesh and Telangana- Sankranthi
  • Odisha, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, West Bengal- Makara Sankranti
  • Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh- Khichdi Sankranti
  • West Bengal- Poush Sankranti
  • Kashmir- ShishurSankrat
  • Tripura- Hangrai

Not just India, but this day is observed by people of other countries as well.South Asian countries like Nepal (Maghi Sankrant), Pakistan (Tirmoori), Singapore & Malaysia (Uzhavar Thirunal), Songkran (Thailand), Cambodia (Mohan Songkran), etc celebrate Makar Sankranti festival as well.

Ways to Observe Sankranti

On the day of Makar Sankranti, people start by taking a holy bath at the time of sunrise. Although many people prefer dipping in the holy waters of any scared river (Ganga or Yamuna), people can bathe at their homes as well. Bathing in sacred river is believed to result in merit or absolution of past sins.

After that, they worship the deity Sun and other gods and goddesses are worshipped too. There is no ritual for observing fast on this day and rather special meals are prepared for Sankranti celebration like dahi, choora, khichdi, etc. Devotees also donate food and other important items to the poor people. Flying kite is also one famous ritual of Sankranti but is mostly done at the time of Makar Sankranti. Other Sankrantis are mostly limited to praying to the Sun and distributing alms among the poors.

FAQs

Question 1: Which Sankranti does fall in March?

Answer: Meena Sankranti

Question 2: How many sankranti are there in a year?

Answer: There are 12 sankranti in a year.

Question 3: What does Sankranti mean?

Answer: The Sun moves from one section of the zodiac to the another section.

1 thought on “Sankranti 2024 March: Date & Time, Puja Vidhi, Importance”

Leave a Comment