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Makar Sankranti

Makar Sankranti is a festival day in the Hindu calendar, which is dedicated to the sun god which is Surya. It is celebrated in the month of Magha which exactly the month of January as per the Gregorian calendar and on this day the people of India celebrate their harvest.

It remarks that the sun enters into the Capricorn marking the end of the month with the hiemal solstice and the start of longer days. Makar Sankranti is one of the few oldest Indian festivals that has been observed according to solar cycles.

It is a festival that celebrated the solar cycle it almost fall on the same date every year that is 14/15 January besides in some years when the date shifts by a day for that year. This festival is related to Makar Sankranti are known by various names such as Magh Bihu in Assam, Lohri in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

Thai Pongal in Tamil Nadu Ghughuti in Uttarakhand or simply as 'Makara Sankranti' in Odisha, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, Andhra Pradesh in West Bengal it is known by Poush Sankranti.

Makar Sankranti is observed with the celebration such as colourful decoration children going home to home, singing and requesting for treats in certain areas, melas, dances, kite flying, bonfires and feasts.

Many observers go to holy rivers or lakes and bathe in a ceremony of thanks to the sun. The Hindus observe Makar Sankranti with one of the world's largest mass pilgrimages, with an expected 40 to 100 million people attending the event.

At this event, at that point, they express a prayer to the sun and bathe at the Prayaga meeting of the River Ganga and River Yamuna at the Kumbha Mela, a tradition attributed to Adi Shankaracharya.

Significance

Every year Makar Sankranti is celebrated in the month of January to mark the hiemal solstice. It is one of the most largely celebrated Hindu festivals of India which is celebrated differently in various cultures but the common practice on the day of Makar Sankranti is flying colourful kites.

This festival is dedicated to the Hindu religious sun god Surya. This importance of Surya is traceable to the Vedic writings, especially the Gayatri Mantra, a sacred hymn of Hinduism found in its scripture named the Rigveda.

Makara Sankranti is regarded as significant for spiritual practices and accordingly, people take a holy bath in rivers, especially Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri. The bathing is accepted to bring in merit or absolution of past offence. They also pray to the sun and thank for their successes and prosperity.

a common social practice found among Hindus of different parts of India is making sticky, bound sweets particularly from sesame and a sugar base for example jaggery. This type of sweet is a symbolism for being together in peace and joyfulness, despite the uniqueness and contrasts between people.

For most parts of India, this period is a part of the beginning times of the Rabi crop and agricultural cycle, where crops have been planted and the hard work in the fields is mostly finished. The time thus signifies a time of socializing and families enjoying each other's company, taking care of the cows, and celebrating around bonfires, in Maharashtra the festival is celebrated by flying kites.

why It is known as the festival of kites

The reason that this festival is also known as the “kite festival”. The primary purpose behind flying the kites is to spend a couple of hours in the daylight. This is the time of winter and in this season, morning daylight is beneficial for the body and for the bones and skin. Hence along with celebration health is also benefited.

Dishes made on Makar Sankranti

Khichdi is one of the most important dishes at this festival of Makar Sankranti. Khichdi is made as to the main dish in many places on this occasion. Many more things were made along with Khichdi like Til ke laddoo, Peanut chikki and many more.

Regional Variations

It is celebrated differently over the Indian subcontinent. Many individuals take a bath in places like Ganga Sagar Prayag and pray to the Sun God. It is celebrated with ritual in southern parts of India as Pongal in Tamil Nadu, in Punjab as Maghi and Sankranti in Karnataka.

various melas or fairs are held on Makar Sankranti the most famous being the Kumbha Mela, held every 12 years at one of four holy locations, namely Haridwar, Prayagraj, Ujjain and Nashik. The Magha Mela and the Gangasagar Mela held at the front of the Ganges River, where it flows into the Bay of Bengal.

History of Makar Sankranti

Sankranti is regarded as a Deity. According to the legend, Sankranti killed a devil named Sankarasur. The day next to Makar Sankrant is called Kinkrant. On this day, Devi killed the devil Kinkarasur.

The information related to Makar Sankranti is available in Panchang. The Panchang is the Hindu Almanac that gives information on the age, form, clothing, direction and movement of Sankranti.

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