Dhanu Sankranti is mostly celebrated in Odisha when the sun enters in Sagittarius zodiac sign. The festival of Dhanu Sankranti marks the beginning of the ninth month of Hindu calendar where devotees worship Lord Sun and Lord Jagannath with utmost devotion and true dedication.

When is Dhanu Sankranti actually celebrated?

As per the Gregorian Calendar, Dhanu Sankranti 2020 falls on the 15th of December month. According to the Hindu traditional calendar, Dhanu Sankranti is celebrated from Pausha Shukla Shasthi to Pausha Purnima in the month of Pausha.

Dhanu Sankranti Significance

In the parts of Odisha, an ambitious ceremony is arranged after the harvesting season in the month of Pausha. Devotees worship Lord Surya and Lord Jagannath for a blissful life. Devotees prepare Dhanu Maun from sweet rice flakes to offer Lord Jagannath. Lord Krishna’s life is shown in street plays on this day of Dhanu Sankranti. Right from Lord Krishna’s birth to defeating the cruel demon king Kansa various scenes are performed. All the people participate in the play where the stories from Bhagwad Puranas are enacted with great joy and enthusiasm. Devotees conduct Dhanu Yatra on this auspicious day of Dhanu Sankranti to offer a great tribute to Lord Surya and Lord Jagannath.

What to do on Dhanu Sankranti

On the occasion of Dhanu Sankranti, Lord Sun is worshipped by offering water and flowers in the morning. Fasting on Dhanu Sankranti is believed to get you abundant blessings from Lord Sun. Devotees begin the holy DhanuYatra from the sixth day of Shukla Paksha in the month of Paushya and it continues till the Purnima of Paushya Month.

Devotees showcase the act of ‘Bow ceremony’ which was organized by Kansa where he invited Lord Krishna and his brother Balrama to Mathura in the Dhanu Yatra with an evil motive to kill both of them.

Benefits of Dhanu Sankranti

A total of 12 Sankrantis arrive in a year and are celebrated with enormous pleasure in various parts of India. Following are the major benefits of celebrating Dhanu Sankranti:

• A devotee’s life will be blessed with immense happiness and fortune.
• Devotees will see growth in all aspects of life.
• Celebrating Dhanu Sankranti bestows the devotee with massive fertility the entire year.