Makar Sankranti- A Festival Of Faith And Devotion

India is a land of different cultures, traditions, love, and brotherhood. You will come across people celebrating all the festivals together thereby showing equal love and respect towards all the religions and cultures. Hence, it would not be wrong to say that India is a land of different festivals. Makar Sankranti is one of the most important and auspicious Hindu festivals which is dedicated to Lord Surya or the God of Sun. On the holy occasion of Makar Sankranti, the sun starts moving towards the northward direction and moves towards the northern hemisphere.

Therefore, it is also known as Uttarayan. With the onset of Makar Sankranti, days become longer and nights become shorter, and this also marks the end of winters. Before Makar Sankranti, the sun was positioned towards the southern hemisphere for which during winters, nights become longer and days become shorter. Makar Sankranti marks the beginning of the spring season. Another belief associated with the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti is that the sun enters the zodiac Capricorn.

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Why is Makar Sankranti Celebrated?

Apart from the sun entering the zodiac Capricorn, a very interesting story is related to the occasion of makar Sankranti that makes it even more special. As per some of the Hindu scriptures, on the day of makar Sankranti, Lord Vishnu defeated the terror by serving the heads of the demon and burying them under a mountain. Thereby, symbolizing the end of negative supremacy and making way for positive energy. And we are sure that this great and heroic deed of Lord Vishnu will create curiosity in your kids and will motivate them to know more about India’s rich mythological treasure.

Apart from the historical angle, Makar Sankranti is considered to be a very special harvest festival for Indian farmers. After a year of hard work, every year on Makar Sankranti the farmers turn extremely happy with the yearly produce that they obtain in their fields and later celebrate the festival together with their families. Not many people know, for women Makar Sankranti is a way to pray for their husband’s long life. These are some of the reasons that make Makar Sankranti a very important Hindu festival.

Makar Sankranti Celebrations in 2022

After gaining a basic insight into the importance of Makar Sankranti, let’s take a look at the different ways by which people celebrate this festival across India.

1. Punjab- Lohri

In Punjab and in all the Punjabi families Makar Sankranti is celebrated as Lohri with lots of fun and excitement. The festival of Lohri is celebrated a night before Sankranti. One song that makes the fun of the celebration and lively is the popular folk song “Sunder mundriye, ho!” and even Bhangra. The people wear colorful costumes and dance in a circle around the bonfire. Apart from dressing and dancing, people feast on some delicious savories such as gur rewari, popcorn, and peanuts.

2. Gujarat- Uttarayan

Makar Sankranti is known as “uttarayan” in Gujarat. The first day is known as Uttarayn, while the next day is Vasi-Uttarayan. The people of Gujarat make it special by flying colorful kites. Undhiyu and chikkis add the much-needed flavors to the overall celebrations. The sky is filled with colorful kites and you will often come across people shouting “kai po che”.

3. Kerala- Makara Vilakku

In Kerala, people celebrate Makar Sankranti as “Makar Vilakku” where people are often seen screaming “makara vilakku”, near the Sabarimala temple. As per popular belief, Lord Ayyappa Swami marks his presence in the form of celestial lighting.

4. Karnataka- Ellu Birodhu

Makar Sankranti in Karnataka is celebrated as ellu birodhu, where the women are seen exchanging “ellu bella”. It is a regional delicacy that is made of cut sugarcane, sesame seeds, jaggery, and coconut with at least 10 minimum families. During the celebrations, you will come across some very popular Kannada sayings such as “ellu bella thindu olle maathadi”, which means eating the mixture of sesame seeds and jaggery and speaking only good.

On the other hand, farmers celebrate this as “suggi”, or the “harvest festival” and decorate their bulls and cows in colorful costumes. To display their strength and power, farmers jump over the fire along with their bulls, and this ritual is known as “kichchu haayisuvudu”.

5. Maharashtra- Makara Sankrant

In Maharashtra, the festival is celebrated as Makara Sankrant, where goddess Sanskranti’s win over demon Sankarasur is celebrated by women dressed in all black. Women wearing black costumes gather together and celebrate the festival with Haldi-Kumkum or turmeric-vermillion. To make the celebrations special and memorable, women also exchange clothes, utensils, and gifts.

6. Tamil Nadu-Pongal

In Tamil Nadu, on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, Pongal is celebrated in the state. In Pongal, rice, jaggery, and mud pots are the main attractions of the festival in the state. Families and friends come together for food and sunshine. The entire state comes to life when people adorn their household corners with beautiful rangolis. Homes are cleaned up, mango leaves are hung on the doors, and poojas are performed.

7. Uttar Pradesh- Sakraat

In the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, devotees take a dip in the holy Ganges to mark the day. Furthermore, a big carnival is organized in the state of Allahabad called Magha Mela. As a first step, devotees take bath during the day and then feast on some sweets such as gud laddoo and til laddoo. The skies are covered with a beautiful layer of kites and one can witness a positive aroma all around.

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Final Words

This is how the festival is celebrated all across the country with enthusiasm and happiness. The festival marks the beginning of the Hindu new year calendar. On the holy occasion of Makar Sankranti, people wear new clothes and pay their respects to their gods and deities. The overall intent of this article is to make your little kids aware of the significance of Makar Sankranti and what significance it holds in Hindu scriptures. We at PiggyRide, are constantly trying our best to create cultural awareness amongst the masses and especially children. Today, it is very important to educate kids about the fact that how vibrant the culture of India is. So, let’s make the year 2022 more vibrant and colorful.

PiggyRide wishes everyone a very happy Makar Sankranti!