Makar Sankranti 2023: Traditions, Rituals Observed In Different States Of India

Apart from sweets, kite flying and marking the end of winter solstice there is more to Makar Sankranti. Sankranti literally means transit or movement and marks the first day of the transit of the Sun into the sign of Makara. Warmer and longer days and shorter nights begin with this transit.
If Sankranti coincides with Tuesday, it is called "Angarki Chaturthi" which is very auspicious. Makara Sankranti is celebrated according to solar cycles; wherein other festivals follow the lunar cycle pattern. So Sankranti falls on the same day of the Gregorian calendar.
It is a festival marked to celebrate the happiness of growing new crops. It is just when spring arrives to make the days pleasant.

Makar Sankranti 2023: Different Names Associated With It

1. Thai Pongal (Tamilnadu)

2. Uttarayan (Gujarat)

3. Lohri (Punjab)

4. Poush Sankranti ( West Bengal)

5. Suggi Habba (Karnataka)

6. Makara Chaula (Odisha)

7. Maghi Sankrant (Maharashtra and Haryana)

8. Magh/Bhogali Bihu (Assam)

9. Shishur Saenkraat (Kashmir)

10. Khichdi Parv (Uttar Pradesh and Bihar)

11. Ghugutia (Uttarakhand)

12. Magh Bihu (Assam)

Makar Sankranti 2023: Rituals

1. Sankranti is usually a 3 or 4-long-day festival that is followed by several rituals on each Sankranti day..

2. Kite flying - Kites are flown in huge numbers and they occupy major portion of the Indian sky, above the cities that celebrate it. Night is all lit up brightly with sky lanterns at night.

3. Bonfires are lit around which People gather in groups to sing and dance their way around it. This is the day of Bhogi" in Andhra Pradesh, "Lohri" in Punjab and "Meji" in Assam.

4. Cash crops like Paddy and Sugar cane are harvested..

5. Holy dip in sacred rivers especially in the Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri on this day confers a lot of punya and cleanses people of their past and present sins. People bathe in holy rivers, especially This is believed to wash off past sins.

6. Praying for success and prosperity to Sun God opens up a fresh world of opportunities with respect to divinity and wisdom.

7. On this day, the most important celebrations like Kumbha Mela", "Ganga Sagar Mela" and "Makara Mela" are conducted in great piety.

8. Dishes prepared out of jaggery and keep the body warm during winter.

Makar Sankranti 2023: Traditions Practiced Pan India

Til (Sesame seed) and Gud (Jaggery) are an essential part of this festival. Til laddoos are exchanged and Tilkut sweet made of these ingredients is known to have the ability to emit sattvic vibrations and improves your spiritual side.
People in Bihar donate Khichdi which is rice cooked with dals to the needy. Flying kite is a must-do activity for Makar Sankranti. Gujarat Maharashtra and Delhi also fly kites in myriad shapes and colours to add a playful element to the festival. Charity is an important activity in Andhra and is conducted by way of clothes donations to the poor. Taking a holy dip is auspicious today. In Uttar Pradesh, people visit pilgrimage centres and take a dip in the Ganges.

In Tamil Nadu(Pongal is a three-day festival, that is celebrated between January 13 and January 15. 13 January is known as the Bhogi festival which is followed by Makara Pongal and then culminates in Mattu Pongal on the next day. Andhra has a similar tradition wherein the third day of Makar Sankranti is called 'Kanuma'. The villagers pray in gratitude to Mother Nature for providing them with a good crop.
Bengal is famous for the Ganga Sagar Mela which is dedicated to holy dips in the sacred Ganga in the spot where it merges with Bay of Bengal. Devotees gather at the Ganga Sagar mela to submit their prayers to Goddess Ganges on that day. Punjab celebrates Lohri the night before Sankranti or Maghi festival. People sing the famous folk song "Sunder mundriye, ho!" while women perform the folk dance of "Giddha" , and men, the "Bhaṅgṛā. " dressed in bright colours, they dance in circles around the bonfire.

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