Uttarayana

Term denoting the six months of the
solar year in which the sun is believed to
be moving northward. In the common
era, this would be the period between
the winter solstice and the summer solstice (roughly December 20 to June 20)
and would be based on the actual
motion of the sun with respect to the
earth. The Indian solar year is based on
the motion of the sun through the zodiac,
which is calculated differently than in
Western astrology. The uttarayana
begins on Makara Sankranti (the day
726
Utpanna Ekadashi
the sun is calculated as entering
Capricorn, usually January 14) and ends
the day before Karka Sankranti (the day
the sun enters Cancer, usually calculated as July 14). The uttarayana is considered a more auspicious time than the
Dakshinayana (in which the sun is traveling toward the south) because the
guardian deity for the southern direction is Yama, who is death personified.