Forum: hinduism.stackexchange.com
Tags: <festivals>
Title: Why does Makar Sankranti follow English calendar?
Question: Why does Makar Sankranti always happens to be on Jan 14 th  / 15 th , while all other Hindu festivals depend on size of moon like Chaturthi, Amavasya, Poornima etc.  Are there any more Hindu festivals which also follows English calendar?

Answers:
sents: text: "Uttarayan", means the day on which sun moves towards "Uttar" means North direction.
text: We celebrate it only on 14 th , the next day 15
text: th is called "Vasee Uttarayan" means the following day of "Makar Sankranti" or "Stale Uttarayan".
text: It is considered that sun marching towards North takes souls to Heaven and heading towards south takes souls to hell.
text: In Mahabharata it is mention when Bhishma decided to leave body on the day of Uttarayan only on the advice of Lord Krishna.
text: Hindu calendar is based on moon, but this day is related with sun.
text: And as per Gregorian calendar this day is found that the sun enters the Capricorn (Sanskrit:
text: Makar) zodiac , so Makar Sankranti is celebrated on this day only as it is solar event only.
text: Hindu calendar is moon event based
text: calendar and Gregorian Calendar is strictly a solar calendar based on solar events of 365 days.
text: As Makar Sankranti is solar event it is followed by Gregorian Calendar.
answer_details: author: hinduism.stackexchange.com/users/577/prem30488
score: 7
sents: text: No, it is not celebrated according to the English calendar.
text: From the point of view of Jyotisha , Makara Sankranti is celebrate when Surya (Sun) enters Makara Rashi (the zodiac named Capricorn).
text: As, Jyotisha follows a sidereal (moveable) zodiac, these dates can change i.e. Surya can enter Makara on a different date.
text: The question itself says that it can fall either on 14th or 15th.
text: The English calendar follows a tropical (fixed) zodiac, where they assume that Sun enters Capricorn on the same date every year which is not in sync with the facts (only an assumption).
text: This article can be referred to learn more.
text: Hope this helps! :)
answer_details: author: hinduism.stackexchange.com/users/4157/Amit Saxena
score: 4
sents: text: A simple logic: Who gave English Calendar to Bhishma Pitamaha to leave his body on Makara Sankranti?
text: Bhishma Pitamaha left his body on the day of Makara Sankranti.
text: He wishfully remained alive up to the day of Makara Sankranti.
text: The Mahabharata, Book 13:
text: Anusasana Parva: Section CLXVII The Mighty Bhishma then, taking the strong hand of Yudhishthira, addressed him in a voice deep as that of the clouds.
text: That thorough master of words said, 'By good luck, O son of Kunti, thou hast come here with all thy counsellors, O Yudhishthira!
text: The thousand-rayed maker of day, the holy Surya has begun his northward course.
text: I have been lying on my bed here for eight and fifty nights.
text: Stretched on these sharp- pointed arrows I have felt this period to be as long as if it was a century.
text: O
text: Yudhishthira, the lunar month of Magha has come.
text: Thus, Makara Sankranti is not by English Calendar.
text: It falls when the Sun Enters the Capricorn (Makara) constellation.
text: It usually happens in January 14th/15th
text: but it doesn't mean that it is calculated by English Calendar.
text: It isn't always necessary that Makara Sankranti falls in January 14th/15th.
answer_details: author: hinduism.stackexchange.com/users/5154/Tejaswee
score: 4
sents: text: It doesn't necessarily comes on 14 th January, We have seen it almost falls on 14 January
text: many times it comes earlier or many times later.
text: Hinduism is the major festivals of Makar Sankranti.
text: This festival is celebrated all over India in some form.
text: Sun in Capricorn occurs on Poush Mass is celebrated on the solstice.
text: This festival is celebrated mostly on fourteen of January.
text: Sometimes the festival twelve, thirteen or fifteen may be, it depends on the fact that when the sun enters Sagittarius Capricorn left.
text: The day begins with the sun's solstice speed and for this reason it is also called Uttarayani.
answer_details: author: hinduism.stackexchange.com/users/834/Keshav
score: 3
sents: text: We follow Moon Calendar as per that the Sankranti comes when Sun Enter Makar (Capricorn) which is also the start of Uttarayan.
text: The English Calendar based on Sun, therefore we find its always on 14th January.
text: But as per Moon Calendar it keeps varies....
text: The Calendar which we follow now a days is Gregorian Calendar, which is based on Sun so its always fixed to 14th Jan.
text: For Sun based Calendar, Moon based festival keeps varies and vice as versa.
answer_details: author: hinduism.stackexchange.com/users/13615/MANISH PARGANIHA
score: 1
sents: text: The Hindi Sanskrit text above translates to the following: Hinduism is the major festivals of Makar Sankranti.
text: This festival is celebrated all over India in some form.
text: Sun in Capricorn occurs on Poush Mass is celebrated on the solstice.
text: This festival is celebrated mostly on fourteen of January.
text: Sometimes the festival twelve, thirteen or fifteen may be, it depends on the fact that when the sun enters Sagittarius Capricorn left.
text: The day begins with the sun's solstice speed and for this reason it is also called Uttarayani.
answer_details: author: hinduism.stackexchange.com/users/860/Brian Rose
score: 0

Summary of the answers:
The Calendar which we follow now a days is Gregorian Calendar, which is based on Sun so its always fixed to 14th Jan.     
The Calendar which we follow now a days is Gregorian Calendar, which is based on Sun so its always fixed to 14th Jan.