Makar Sankranti is an important Hindu festival celebrated with religious fervor
in almost all parts of India. The festival is celebrated to mark the beginning
of the bountiful harvest season after few months of chilly winter. It falls on
January 14, every year, as per the Solar calendar. Both geographic and religious
significance are associated with the festival. On the day, Sun begins to travel
northwards, by leaving the Tropic of Cancer in order to enter the Tropic of
Capricorn (corresponding to the zodiac sign 'Makar' meaning Capricorn). The
traditions observed during the festival are different according to different
regions of India. Read on to get information about the rituals of Makar
Sankranti.
Makar Sankranti Customs & Traditions
* In Maharashtra, there is a custom of exchanging sweets made of jaggery, as the
first sugarcane crop for the year is harvested during the period. According to a
tradition, the Marathis wear black clothes, because they consider the black
sesame as auspicious. Til Gul (Sesame-Jaggery sweet) is prepared and exchanged
on the day.
* Flying kite is one of the popular Makar Sankranti traditions of Maharashtra.
Colorful kites, made of different shapes and sizes, are also flown in Gujarat,
as a part of the celebrations of Makar Sankranti. This is primarily because, the
festival coincides with the International Kite Festival held at Ahmedabad
(capital city of Gujarat), on January 14.
* Charity forms a significant part of the traditions of Makar Sankranti. In the
state of Uttar Pradesh, one can witness people donating Khichdi (rice cooked
with lentils) to the poor and needy. People in Andhra Pradesh also indulge
themselves in charity of clothes.
* Taking a holy dip on the day is considered auspicious and hence, it is a
popular custom followed in Uttar Pradesh, where people flock the religious
places in the state to take a ceremonious bath in holy River Ganga. It is
believed that taking dip in holy rivers provides moksha (salvation) from all the
sins done previously.
* Makar Sankranti is known as Pongal in Tamil Nadu. There, it is a three-day
festival, starting from January 13 until January 15. January 13 is celebrated as
Bhogi, followed by Makara Pongal (Sankranti) and then culminated by Mattu Pongal
on the next day. Similar tradition is seen in Andhra Pradesh, where the third
day of Makar Sankranti is known as 'Kanuma'.
* The customs followed in villages of India, on Makar Sankranti, have a unique
charm. Varied festivities including singing and dancing mark the celebrations of
the harvest festival. Courtyards and swept and sprinkled with a mixture of water
and cow dung, while the homes are scrub-cleaned for the festival. People would
make Rangoli or Kolam in their courtyard. The villagers extend their gratitude
to Mother Nature for a good crop.
|
|
