Makar Sankranti: 14th January 2021

In South, it is a 4-day long festival and the day one is called “Bhogi” when people throw away old items and get replacements and celebrate the process of change. Day 2 is the main occasion Makar Sankranti which is celebrated with family. Day 3 is popularly known as Kanuma and people celebrate it by feeding castle or non-veg. Day 4 is known as Mukkanuma and on this day people spend quality time with family members and get busy in activities like flying kites, cock fights, etc.

Important things about Makar Sankranti that you should know

India is a land of diverse population and hence, one gets to see and experience a variety of festivals in India. Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians live in harmony here and celebrate their respective festivals with great interest and enthusiasm. The government also sanctions national holidays on such festival days to make the occasion even more special.

Festival is the time people keep on waiting eagerly to meet family members, friends, and relatives. Festivals bring the entire family closer and together and here in this article, we will be discussing a few prominent festivals in detail and would try to analyze what makes these festivals so special.

Makar Sankranti is a festival that is popularly known as the celebration of the onset of the harvest season in India.

This festival is celebrated all over India and people call it with different names at different places.People variety of sweet delicacies, buy new clothes for the entire family during the occasion of Makar Sankranti.

In India, Makar Sankranti is celebrated after the arrival of the new year and this is a festival that is celebrated by the Hindus. Makar Sankranti is celebrated on that day of the year when the sun, the king of all planets, stays in the Rasi(house) of Makar(Capricorn). As per the Hindu calendar, Makar Sankranti is celebrated in the month of Magha.

Makar Sankranti is celebrated in different style in different states of India. Let’s take a small tour.

People from Bihelebrated on the ar and Jharkhand celebrate Makar Sankranti for two days and they call is Sakraat. Likewise, this festival has got great significance in so many other states with different names but the best part is this such an important festival as it brings families, friends, and relatives closer and people get to celebrate the biggest thing in life, that is life itself through such festivals.

Know more about how to celebrate Makar Sankranti in different States

• Makar Sankranti in Punjab

         In the state of Punjab, this festival is celebrated as Maghi. The people here celebrate this festival by lighting lamps with sesame oil in the entire house and taking bath in the river in the early morning. It is a belief here that by lighting the lamps and taking bath in the river all the sins in the house will disappear and there will be prosperity in the house. People clean there home in the morning before taking bath and start there day by worshipping the goddess sun. It is a tradition to eat Jaggery and Khichdi on this day. In some parts of the state, people consume Kheer and sugarcane juice.

         This festival is also celebrated as Lohri. It is a unique way of celebrating this festival. People used to gather together in the evening in the crossroad of a village and there used to be a huge bonfire. People do their traditional dance called Bhangra. On this festival, the happiness of the people can be seen from their faces because it is the arrival of new crops and the change in the weather from the colder to warmer.

• Makar Sankranti in Karnataka

          This festival comes in the month of January which is the harvest month for the farmers of Karnataka. Suggi is the name given to this festival in Karnataka. There is a ritual called “Ellu Birodhu” in which girls wear new clothes and visit their dear ones with the offering of Sankranti in the plate. The Ellu Birodhu comes from the two words Ellu and Birodhu which means the mixture of white sesame seeds with fried groundnuts and fine cut Bella called Jaggery. The plate contains this mixture and shaped sugar candy molds called Sakkare Acchu also with a piece of sugarcane. There is a popular saying in Kannada which people say to each other when they offer the sweets of Sankranti “ellu bella thindu olle maathadi” which means “eat the mixture of sesame seeds and jaggery and speak well”. Women also decorate their cattle and paint their horns and also draw rangolis outside their homes.

• Makar Sankranti in Gujarat

          The festival of Makar Sankranti is very famous in the state of Gujarat. This festival is known as Uttarayan. And it is a two days festival. The first day of this festival called Uttarayan is celebrated on the 14th of January. On this day people used to fly kites which are also called ‘patang’. There used to be a kite fight among people. With great enthusiasm and interest, people engage in this fight. The common phrases are also exchanged between the people of the winning team and losing team like, “E Lapet”, “Kai po che”, “Phirki vet phirki” and many such phrases are exchanged between them. From morning to evening people are busy in flying kites. It’s great joy on this day and nobody wants to miss this day. People take special holidays for this day. The craze of flying kites in the people of Gujarat can be seen in the sky. The sky is full of kites.

         The second day of this festival is called Vasi which means stale. On this day people used to celebrate by consuming different dishes among their loved ones. Dishes like undhiya, chikki which is made up of peanuts, jaggery and sesame seeds are being made to celebrate the occasion.

• Makar Sankranti in Maharashtra

          Makar Sankranti is celebrated with great joy in Maharashtra. Similarly in Gujarat here also people used to fly kites with a lot of enthusiasm and interest. Here also there is a fight between the kites and certain words are exchanged between both winning and losing teams. On this day Halwa and til-gul ladoo(sweetmeats made from jaggery and sesame seeds) are made. There is also a particular kind of saying in Marathi on this day "तिळगुळ घ्या, आणि गोड-गोड बोला/ til-gul ghyaa, aani goad-goad bolaa” which means eat these sweets and speak sweet words. Basically, the idea behind this is that forget whatever happened in the past whatever ill-feeling between us and start a new and healthy relationship and remain friends again. There is also a very popular dish in Maharashtra made on this day called Puran poli which is made with flat bread stuffed with jaggery mixed with toasted and white sesame seeds along with pure ghee.

• Makar Sankranti in Bihar and Jharkhand

           In the state of Bihar and Jharkhand, this festival lasts for two days and celebrated on the 14th and 15th of January. The common word for this festival is known as Sakraat. Here also people take early morning baths and start their day by eating dahi-chuda which is a dish made from poha or chuda, gur (jaggery), Chura, Khichdi. On both, the day people used to fly kites. The lunch is generally skipped on this day and that time is used for flying kites and socializing with people. The dinner is usually made in the groups by women. The special khichdi and chokha is made in the evening. Men used to sit together and have their evening meal. The festival of Makar Sankranti is one of the most important festivals for the people because it is the time when the new crop began to harvest.

• Makar Sankranti in Delhi and Haryana

           The festival of Magar Sankranti was mainly celebrated by Yadavs, Jats and Kayastha community in Delhi. This festival is considered to be the main festival of the year as it is celebrated at the beginning of the year. On this special day, the Yadavs and Jats traditional dishes are made such as halwa, Kheer and Churma of ghee. The people here followed a ritual called “Sidha” in which a brother of a married woman visits her house with a present or gift such as some warm clothing for her sister and her family members. Also, a ritual called “Manana” in which women give a gift to their in-laws. All the Women used to sing folks songs and men used to sit in the main palace called haweli and share hookka.

           Many great memories are made on this auspicious festival called Makar Sankranti.