Makar Sankranti and Pongal are harvest festivals observed in different regions of India and across the global diaspora, often around mid-January. While they have distinct cultural expressions, both are connected to seasonal transition, gratitude, and the return of longer days.

Makar Sankranti marks the sun’s movement into Capricorn, and is often associated with light, renewal, and generosity. Pongal, particularly in Tamil communities, is a multi-day celebration centred on harvest, food, and giving thanks to land, animals, and labour.

For some, these days are religious and ceremonial. For others, they are cultural, familial, or rooted in food and gathering. And for many, they are simply familiar markers in the turning of the year.

I want to acknowledge these festivals without collapsing their differences, and without assuming how — or whether — they are observed.

If you are marking Makar Sankranti or Pongal this year, I hope they bring moments of warmth, gratitude, or connection. And if you are not, the themes they carry — appreciation for effort, nourishment, and change — may still resonate in quieter ways.

Gareth