Makar Sankranti, the Festival of Kites, is popularly known as Uttarayan. Uttarayan is a combination of two Sanskrit words, ‘uttar’ meaning north and ‘ayan’ meaning movement towards. Uttarayan occurs on Posh Vad Pancham and celebrates the sun’s northward movement. Since the northern direction is considered sacred, the time span in which the sun moves from one zodiac to another is considered auspicious. Dan, or the act of donating, is given great importance on this day. Hindus go to mandir and donate grains, other food items, money, and even vehicles and homes for punya. In the Swaminarayan Sampraday, devotees gather to where HH Mahant Swami Maharaj is and offer their donations for the benefit of the local community. Mahant Swami Maharaj asks for zoli as sadhus have for centuries, saying, “Swaminarayan Hare, Sachidanand Prabho!” Many BAPS mandirs around the world celebrate the kite festival as well. Watching families flying colorful kites together and rekindling the spirit of Indian culture is a heartwarming image.