Makar Sankranti
Makar Sankranti is a Hindu religious festival. It is the first festive celebration of the year. It falls on 14th of January every year with very rare occasion when it is celebrated either on the 13th on the 15th of January. This festival even has an astrological significance because it marks the transition of the Sun into the zodiac sign of Capricorn on its path.
Makar Sankranti is a period, which marks the arrival of the spring season in India. Therefore, this is the time when the crop? In the field are harvested. As it is the time of harvesting, Makar Sankranti is also known as the Harvest festival.
The celebration of this wonderful festival is quite amusing. One can find so many different colors, traditions and rituals celebrated at the same time and for the same occasion. It is the festival where the sweets and the foodie materials are not bought from outside. They are made at home with pure homemade materials. Sweets are the specialty of this festival and different sweets are made. Sweets are distributed and exchanged among the neighbours, family and friends.
Makar Sankranti is also known as the kite flying festival in many parts of India. Kites with different sizes and colours are found flying high up in the sky. It looks very pleasant when kites of various colours fly in the sky. Even trees are found with kites fallen over them. These scenes fill our mind with joy and happiness.
Regional blessings are given by the elders while greeting each other. Laddus of till made with jaggery is a specialty of the festival. While a person is about to wish somebody by giving kiddus he/she wishes by saying, “Tit Good Ghiya, GodeGode Bola”. This is a famous wishing line in Maharashtra. The other person would also give the same kind of sweet and wishes in the same manner. Family members, relatives, friends, young and old come together and meet each other on this day.
Another interesting fact about this day is that though it is celebrated all over India, it is known by different names in different regions of India. People in South Indian celebrate this day as ‘Pongal’ were as the North Indians, especially in Punjab and Haryana it is celebrated as ‘Lohri’. Here people do not celebrate it on the actual day, instead it is celebrated the night before the main day. People come together, create a campfire and then by going round the fire sing and dance into their homeland folk style.
The main idea behind celebrating this festival is to welcome good days where everyone invites more to life. People wish for luck, good health, prosperity, well being and lots of wealth.
