Sankranti

(“transition”) The transition of a celestial
body (sun, moon, or planet) from one
sign of the zodiac to another. Such transitions can give the celestial bodies or
the time in question positive or negative
qualities. The most important of these
celestial bodies is the sun, whose two
directional transitions—northward at
Makara Sankranti, and southward at
Karka Sankranti—define more and less
auspicious times for the entire year.