‘Makar Sankranti’ – the day of flying kites – is a grand
celebration that falls on the 14th of January every year. This day
marks the transition of the Sun from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of
Capricorn. The sun’s transition is known as ‘Sankranti’ in Sanskrit, from which
the festival derives its name. Also, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn are
known as ‘Dakshinayana’ and ‘Uttarayana’ respectively, which is why the
festival is also known as ‘Uttarayan’. This day is solely dedicated to the Sun
God in Vedic Puranas as he is regarded as the deity of divinity and wisdom.
Different parts of India celebrate this day differently.
·
Gujarat and other parts of western India
participate in the kite flying celebrations.
·
The people of Maharashtra exchange til-laddus
and tilguls made of sesame seeds and sugar/jiggery with the thought of
forgetting past ill-feelings and conflicts, and instilling sweetness in future
relationships.
·
For Andhra Pradesh, this is a four-day festival
celebrated as Bhogi, Sankranti, Kanuma and Mukkanuma – each signifying the time
to discard the old and welcome the new in life.
·
The people of Uttar Pradesh consider this day as
the most auspicious to take a dip in the holy waters of River Ganga.
·
Tamil Nadu celebrates this day as ‘Pongal’ where
people worship the Sun God and other deities, and offer special food prepared
from rice and pulses cooked together in ghee and milk.
·
Keralites dedicate this day to Lord Ayyappa and
worship him at the Sabarimala Temple with complete devotion and enthusiasm.
So, what does this kite flying celebration teach us? Just
like the kite flies higher and higher with the wind with no boundaries and no
obstacles, it teaches us how to live with new hopes, new dreams and new desires
that help us rise high. Just like kite flying, other traditions like exchanging
tilguls, dipping in the River Ganga, and the four-day festival of Andhra
Pradesh also teach us to let go of the negativity and ill-feelings of the past
and welcome new beginnings in life. Also, this day is celebrated as a major
harvest festival across India and Nepal. The festival is considered auspicious
and sacred as it marks the beginning of the harvest season, thus bringing
happiness of yielding crops. Learning from all of these celebrations, you must
also make some new beginnings from this day. It may be buying a new home,
entering a new home, buying a new vehicle, starting a business, or anything
else. So, begin from this auspicious day to have the blessings of the Sun God
in your venture. And, whenever you need the assistance of professional Pujaris
and Pandits for any kinds of rites and rituals to be performed for your new
beginnings, you can approach MakeMyPuja to provide you with knowledgeable,
respected and experienced Pandits.
Here are some other interesting facts about Makar Sankranti that
you may not have known about before.
·
The day and night on Makar Sankranti are equally
long, and the days grow longer after Uttarayana.
·
Kite flying is done during the mornings to soak
up the benefits of the sun and wade off any infections or illness caused by the
long winter solstice.
·
This day marks the beginning of the ‘Kumbh Mela’
in any of its four allotted states and ‘Sabrimala’ in South India.
·
It is believed that on this day, Lord Surya
forgets his anger and visits his son ShaniDev, with whom he doesn’t get along
well otherwise.
So, this is the day of both worship and celebrations. It
brings new hope, new enthusiasm and new desires for a New Year ahead.
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