The Festival Of Healthy Beginnings
As the colourful kites fill up the blue skies, the human spirits also soar up high! This amazing festival is an inevitable one to witness in India & the special regional delicacies prepared during this time is a must-have. The movement of the Sun from Dhanu (Sagittarius) to Makar (Capricorn) in the month of Pausha, marks the end of the winter solstice (Dakshinayan). Thus begins Uttarayan. And thus the festival is called Makar Sankranti.
This evident celestial occurrence signals the beginning of the harvest season after months of cold weather. It is also the day when the Sun God is worshipped. Interestingly, this festival is celebrated in most parts of the country but is known by different names.
Though the Makar Sankranti traditions are different in different regions of India, the celebration is the same. This day, people worship the sun god, Surya, by going to temples and taking a cleansing bath in the Ganges River. Sweets made of jaggery and sesame are another tradition which is vastly found and it’s the colorful kite festival which adorns the sky is the high point.
Makar Sankranti is called various names throughout India. It is known as Maghi in North India, Sukarat in central India, Magh Bihu in Assam, and Pongal in Tamil Nadu. Many other Indian states also call it Makara Sankranti. Although it’s celebrated all across India in different forms the best places to witness this festival of Sun are.
Punjab:
Known as Maghi, this festival is widely celebrated in Punjab. Hindu devotees bathe in rivers in the early morning and light lamps filled with sesame oil as this is supposed to bring prosperity.
Evenings, get-togethers are organized and everyone participates in a folk dance called bhangra. And a meal is organized which includes food such as kheer (rice cooked in milk and sugarcane juice) and khichdi (a dish made of rice and lentils), that are specially prepared for the occasion.
Gujarat:
Known as Uttarayan, Makar Sankranti in Gujarat is celebrated for two days. People of this central state excitedly await this festival for the chance to fly kites called patang in the International Kite Festival.
Kites are specially made for the occasion of special light-weight paper and bamboo and the string often contains abrasives to cut down other people’s kites. On the festival day, the skies brim with thousands of kites as people enjoy two full days of kite flying. This festival is a joyous one to watch and to participate in.
Assam:
‘Magh Bihu’, as it’s called in this part of the country it’s celebrated with bonfires & special food.
During the celebrations, young people erect temporary huts, known as Meji and Bhelaghar, from materials such as bamboo, leaves, and thatch. They will then eat the food prepared for the feast and burn the huts the next morning.
Assamese games such as tekeli bhonga or pot-breaking and buffalo fighting are also a part of this festival.
Karnataka:
Vastly celebrated as Suggi in Karnataka it is a harvest festival for farmers. On this day, young girls wear new clothes to visit their dear ones with a platter containing white sesame seeds mixed with fried groundnuts, dried coconut, candy molds, and jaggery.
Andhra Pradesh:
Makar Sankranti is celebrated for four days in Andhra Pradesh. The day before the actual festival is called Bhoghi which is celebrated by throwing away their old things to bring about change or transformation.
Tamil Nadu:
Widely known as Pongal this festival of the sun is a grand affair in the state of Tamil Nadu. On the first day of the festival, Boghi is celebrated by throwing away and destroying old clothes and materials by setting them on fire. This marks the end of the old and the emergence of the new.
The four days are Bhogi, Thai Pongal, Mattu Pongal & Kaanum Pongal. The delicacy Pongal is made and offered to the Gods!
Rajasthan:
The festival of Kites – Makar Sankranti is celebrated all across this colorful state in different styles and forms. The Kite Festival is often referred to as the harvest festival because this is the time when harvesting is completed and people get together to celebrate.
The tourism department of Rajasthan organizes a special program on Makar Sankranti at the Jal Mahal ki Pal for the tourists on Makar Sankranti; there are kite wars, decorated kites exhibition, and various cultural performances to enrich the entertainment! The colourful parts of Rajasthan are it Jaipur, Udaipur or Jodhpur become more enriched with Colors during this Sun festival.
Celebrated during a culmination of Winter & Summer, where the Sun comes out but not in its complete strength medically is the right kind of Sun to bask in and gather all the Vitamin D to be stored up by the body. The til (sesame) sweets have their own significance as the amount of calcium in these sweets is much more than that of even milk.
Thus ancestors did have valid reasons to celebrate this festival of Sun by encouraging the children to go out for flying kites to bask in the sun & simultaneously feeding them Til ki mithai. Bringing them a year of good health & wealth. Well is there a bigger wealth than Health?!