Why is Makar Sankranti celebrated?

Why is Makar Sankranti celebrated?

Wo katte!!!!!!!!!! This phrase does remind me of something, yes right it’s kites……… Kites mean one

more festive season and that is MAKAR SANKRANTI…………………….

MAKAR SANKRANTI is a festival celebrated in almost all the parts of India but in different

forms. It is a major harvest festival. Each state has its own way of celebrating this lovely

festival. Makar Sankranti marks the beginning of spring and sets off the winter season.

It is celebrated on 14 th January every year with lots of happiness and splendor.

Why is MAKAR SANKRANTI celebrated?

The festival of Makar Sankranti is associated with much cultural significance. The Puranas say

that on this day Sun visits the house of his son Shani, who is the swami of Makar Rashi. This

day symbolizes the healthy relationship of father & son. It is the son who has the

responsibility to carry forward his father's dream and the continuity of the family.

It was on this day when Lord Vishnu ended the ever increasing terror of the Asuras by

finishing them off and burying their heads under the Mandara Parvata. So this occasion also

represents the end of negativities and the beginning of an era of righteous living.

This festival is celebrated all over India on the same day but has different names in each

region. However, being a harvest festival, bonfires and feasts are the main things common to

all the celebrations of the Pongal festival.

In India, every state celebrates this festival in a unique way.

1. In the south, people have the festival of Pongal, which is celebrated over four days. The

newly harvested rice is cooked and this preparation goes by the name Pongal. Pongal,

elaborate powdered chalk designs of the sun god, Surya are drawn. Surya is worshiped.

2. In the North of India, people celebrate this day as Makar Sankranti. The most exciting

thing about this festival is the kite flying. The sky looks as beautiful as a bride with such

colorful kites all over.

3. In Punjab, people celebrate Lohri on January 13. They believe that this is the coldest

day of the year. With the cold winds blowing they celebrate by dancing the bhangra

around a fire, which is fed with sugarcane, rice, and sesame seeds. People sing folk songs

that tell of a good harvest, which is a blessing from the gods.

4. This is the greatest festival of the Assamese people, who observe three Bihus. The

three Bihus, constitute a festival complex and are celebrated at various stages of the

cultivation of paddy, the principal crop of Assam.

5. In West Bengal, this day is celebrated with great zeal as Ganga Sagar Mela. Celebrated

every year on 14th January, pilgrims from across the country come together to take a

the holy dip at the confluence of the river Ganga and the Bay of Bengal.

Makar Sankranti is a festival of giving. In many places, people donate useful things to

spread happiness. We wish that everyone’s life should be as colorful as this festival.

DESERT STREET MEERUT wishes everyone a very HAPPY MAKAR SANKRANTI.