Indian Festival Makara Sankranti
Makara Sankranti or Maghi, is a festival day in the Hindu calendar, dedicated to the deity Surya (sun). It is observed each year in the lunar month of Magha which corresponds with the month of January as per the Gregorian calendar and is a day the people of India and Nepal celebrate their harvest. It marks the first day of the sun’s transit into Makara rashi (Capricorn), marking the end of the month with the winter solstice and the start of longer days. This festival is celebrated in honor of the Sun God or Surya to pay tribute for the grace of its energy that has enabled life and food on earth. The festival is observed each year and is dedicated to the Sun God. This year, it will be celebrated on the 14th of January, which is a Wednesday.
The festival is also hailed as the ‘festival of kites’ that marks the end of the winter and announces the arrival of spring. It is one of the few ancient festivals that is observed as per the solar cycles ones of the Hindu calendar. The festivities associated with Makar Sankranti are known by various names, such as Maghe Sankranti in Nepal, Magh Bihu in Assam, Maghi (preceded by Lohri) in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, popular amongst both the Hindus and Sikhs, Sukarat in central India, Thai Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Ghughuti in Uttarakhand or simply as ‘Makara Sankranti’ in Odisha, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, Andhra Pradesh (also called Pedda Pandaga), Telangana, West Bengal (also called Poush Sankranti) and Uttar Pradesh (also called Khichdi Sankranti). While this is the time for harvest festivals of all the different states, true to India’s diverse traditions, each one has its own customs and practices.
The history
According to legends, it is believed that Sankranti – after whom the festival is named – was a deity, who killed a demon called Sankarasur. In India, it is considered to be a date from when the sun begins to move north, as before Makar Sankranti, the sun was shining on the southern hemisphere. The Hindus believe this period to be the uttaarayan – or the period of auspiciousness. According to the Mahabharata, Bhishma Pitamah had waited for the sun to be in uttarayan to embrace death.
On this day, people wake up early and express their gratitude towards the Sun God. Some people take a dip in one of the holy rivers and chant mantras. Others begin their day by dressing well and flying kites. In many parts of the country, kite-flying competitions are held. It is symbolic in nature, because it is said that the higher your kite flies, the higher you go in life in terms of prosperity. Communities come together and share sweets and laddoos made of sesame (til) and jaggery (gur).
akara Sankranti is observed with social festivities such as colorful decorations, rural children going house to house, singing and asking for treats in some areas, melas (fairs), dances, kite flying, bonfires and feasts. The Magha Mela, according to Diana L. Eck (professor at Harvard University specializing in Indology), is mentioned in the Hindu epic Mahabharat. Many observers go to sacred rivers or lakes and bathe in a ceremony of thanks to the sun. Every twelve years (marking one complete revolution of Jupiter around the Sun) the Hindus observe Makar Sankranti with one of the world’s largest mass pilgrimages, with an estimated 40 to 100 million people attending the event. At this event, they say a prayer to the sun and bathe at the Prayaga confluence of the River Ganga and River Yamuna at the Kumbha Mela, a tradition attributed to Adi Shankaracharya.
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