Celebrations of Makar Sankranti across India

Makar Sankranti, the festival of harvest is celebrated with immense enthusiasm and diverse customs across India, and this year it falls on January 14th, marking the sun's transition into Capricorn and the end of the winter solstice. While the core theme of expressing gratitude for a bountiful harvest but the festivities take on unique forms in different regions.

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 From the snow-capped Himalayas to the sun-drenched southern states, Makar Sankranti is observed with distinctive traditions. In Punjab and Haryana, Lohri is a vibrant celebration of community and warmth, where bonfires are lit at sunset to symbolize the dispelling of negativity, and people gather around the crackling flames to sing folk songs, dance the bhangra, and offer maize corn, rewri, and peanuts to the fire as a gesture of gratitude and a prayer for prosperity.

 In Tamil Nadu, Pongal, the four-day harvest festival, is a grand celebration of nature's abundance. The main event, Thai Pongal, involves boiling rice in milk and jaggery in a new clay pot until it overflows, symbolizing abundance and prosperity, and this sweet concoction is offered to the Sun God as an expression of thanksgiving. Other days of Pongal include Mattu Pongal, dedicated to honoring cattle; Kaanum Pongal, a day for visiting relatives and exchanging greetings; and Bhogi, where old belongings are burnt to symbolize new beginnings.

 Gujarat's skies come alive with a maze of colors on Uttarayan, as people engage in kite-flying competitions, symbolising freedom and joy, and feasts are an integral part of the celebration, featuring Undhiyu, a mixed vegetable dish, and chikki, a sweet brittle made with sesame and jaggery.

 In Assam, Magha Bihu is a time for community feasts and bonfires, where people gather to savor traditional delicacies, light bonfires to ward off evil spirits, and participate in games and cultural performances, marking the end of the harvest season and fostering community bonding.

 Meanwhile, thousands of pilgrims converge at the confluence of the Ganges and Bay of Bengal for the Ganga Sagar Mela in West Bengal, where they take a holy dip in the sacred waters on Makar Sankranti, believing it cleanses sins and brings salvation.

The savouries offered and shared during Makar Sankranti are not merely culinary delights but also carry profound cultural significance. In Maharashtra, tilgul, small sweet balls made with sesame seeds and jaggery, symbolise harmony and good luck, and exchanging them with the phrase "Tilgul ghya, god god bola" signifies a commitment to fostering goodwill. North India relishes gajak, a crunchy brittle made with sesame seeds and jaggery, providing warmth and energy during the cold weather, with the sweetness of jaggery symbolizing good luck and the sesame seeds believed to absorb negative energies.

Maharashtra also celebrates with Puran Poli, a sweet flatbread filled with a lentil and jaggery mixture, symbolizing prosperity and abundance, often offered to deities and shared with loved ones. The overflowing of the rice and milk mixture during Pongal in Tamil Nadu represents abundance and is a symbolic offering of gratitude to the Sun God. Khichdi, a simple dish of rice and lentils, is offered to deities and consumed on Makar Sankranti, symbolizing good health, prosperity, and unity.

 Makar Sankranti transcends its identity as a harvest festival; it is a celebration of life, hope, and new beginnings, a time to express gratitude for nature's blessings, strengthen community bonds, and embrace the promise of a brighter future. The diverse traditions and culinary delights on Makar Sankranti reflect India's rich cultural a truly unique and vibrant festival.