Makar Sankranti is a solar event marking the transition of the sun into the celestial path of the zodiac sign Capricorn. It usually falls on the 14th of January with some exceptions when it is celebrated on the 15th of the month. The first day of the Magha month signifies the arrival of warmer days. People offer prayers to the Sun God and feast on delicacies made with sesame and jaggery, halwa, pitha and more. The festival is a seasonal observance as well as a religious celebration. It is predominantly a harvest festival, celebrated across all regions throughout India from East-West to North-South. While it is most popular in West India, down the South, the festival is known as Pongal and in the North, it is celebrated as Lohri. The other names of the festival are Uttarayan,  Maghi and  Khichdi. Traditional foods are the heart and soul of the festival. For example, in Uttar Pradesh, people associate Pind Daan (offering to the ancestors) with the festival. Pind Daan includes items like Peas, Potatoes, Jaggery, Sesame, Rice, Turmeric, Salt, Coins. Majorly, there are six varieties of traditional foods like Chikkis, Lai Pattis, Gud, Sewa ka Ladoo, Ramdana, Til ka Ladoo. Til is found mostly in all the traditional food dishes of Uttar Pradesh.

 Here, we bring you some varieties of foods that you can cherish during the time of the festival.

• Fini – This Rajasthani dessert carries the flavour of the desert itself. It is made up of Flour and Ghee.
• Chikki – This til-based sweet is forging the way of restoring friendship and forgetting differences throughout Maharashtra.
• Til laddu – InGujarat, Til- ladoo and kite flying are the essential part of the celebrations. Made of sesame seeds and jaggery, these ladoos are not just tasty but are beneficial for your health too.
• Dry fruit gajak – Another perfect food item to keep your body warm in the retreating winters is this gajjak, made up of dry fruits, jaggery and sesame seeds.
• Til patti – Made from just two elements- sesame and ghee, this another Rajasthani dessert will surely tickle your taste buds. And as per elders, it is given to expecting mothers to boost their haemoglobin levels.
• Til pitha – A delicacy from Assam, til pitha is a thin wrapper made of rice flour, with sesame seeds and jaggery filling. Since this dish is prepared in a single pot it also established the symbol of unity and oneness.

• Lai Patti – In Bihar people love to munch on Lai Pattis and Peanut Chakkis mainly made up of Lais and peanuts. This special pattis and Chakkis are made from puffed rice, peanuts and jaggery.
• Nolen Gurer Payesh –  This sweet and tasty recipe from Bengal is equivalent to the Northern plain dish Kheer. It is mainly made up of rice and a special variety of date palms and jaggery. Other than this Bengal is also famous for its Ladoos made up of puffed rice and jaggery. These special Ladoos are also referred to as Moa in Bengal.