Hyderabad:People of South India celebrate “Makara Sankranthi”, every year in the month of January 14. Some years due to the lunar calendar it will celebrate on January 15, according to the celesterial journey of the God Sun. this festival is called as “Rythula” Pandaga or Farmers festival. This festival celebrated three days called first day “Bhogi” (13), Second Day “Makara Sankranthi” (14) and Third Day “Kanuma” (15).

The farmer’s honour the animals i.e., bulls which are helping them in the agricultural works. So Kanuma is also called animal’s festival. Farmers will decorate the bulls and other animals with colourful ribbons and other decorated items. This is mainly celebrates in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the South India.

It is also one of the largely celebrated Hindu festivals of India and Nepal which is celebrated differently in various cultures but the common practice on the day of Makar Sankranti is flying colourful kites.

This festival is dedicated to the Hindu religious sun god Surya. This significance of Surya is traceable to the Vedic texts, particularly the Gayathri Mantra, a sacred hymn of Hinduism found in its scripture named the Rig-Veda.
Makara Sankranti is an important pan-Indian solar festival, known by different names though observed on the same date, sometimes for multiple dates around the Makar Sankranti. It is known as Pedda Panduga in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Makara Sankranti in Karnataka and Maharashtra, Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Magh Bihu in Assam, Magha Mela in parts of central and north India, as Makar Sankranti in the west, Maghara Valaku in Kerala, and by other names.

In some parts of India it is believed that a demon was killed in that day.  Makara Sankranti is set by the solar cycle of the Hindu lunisolar calendar, and is observed on a day which usually falls on 14 January of the Gregorian calendar, but sometimes on 15 January. It signifies the arrival of longer days.

Makara Sankranti falls in the Hindu calendar solar month of Makara, and the lunar month of Magha (the festival is also called Magha Sankranti or Magha festival in parts of India). It marks the end of the month with winter solstice for India and Nepal and the longest night of the year, a month that is called Pausha in the lunar calendar and Dhanu in the solar calendar in the Vikrami system. The festival celebrates the first month with consistently longer days.