Makar Sankranti- Its that time of the year again

Makar Sankranti is on edge. The season of harvest, happiness all around, colorful celebrations and mouth watering sweets. We thought to celebrate this beautiful festival together with people we work and shared funny stories with each other. In middle of sharing our past memories one of our fellow team members shared some great insights about this festival.

India is a country of many cultures and every culture has their own way of celebrating festivals. Makar Sankranti is a festival that is called with various names in different regions of the nation.

According to the Gujarati calendar, the festival is ‘Uttarayan’. Uttar Pradesh calls it ‘Khichiri’. The Punjabi calendar calls it ‘Lohri’, while in the south calls ‘Pongal’, and in Madhya Pradesh, they call it Sakrat. It is such an astonishing thing to know that one festival has so many different versions in one nation, although the significance of the day remains the same.

However, coming back to the auspicious day- Makar Sankranti has a very great significance and is celebration of open heart in Gujarat just like in the days of navraatri . Also known as Kite Festival, Gujarat celebrates the festival with utmost joy and flying beautiful kites in the sky.

An entire ground is for celebrating the kite festival with colossal kites of different shapes. Ahmedabad has a big kite museum, where different types of kites are showcase from the collection of Bhanu Shah. In February 1984, Bhanu Shah set up the Kite Museum and displayed his vast personal collection of kites along with numerous illustrations and pictures. 

However due to rising fear of COVID-19, this year, everything is at half capacity in working. Hope everyone is safe and healthy.

Let’s get to know the real meaning of sankranti celebrations with amazing facts.

Significance

In honor of the sun god, people celebrate the festival as a thanksgiving for a good harvest.  The kite flying practice is a much-loved ritual on this day. Food also plays an important role in bringing people together. The festival of Makar Sankranti is traditionally celebrated with preparations made with til seeds or sesame seeds along with jaggery. 

Makar Sankranti with Religious beliefs

Makar Sankranti has religious significance due to the various ways of celebration throughout India with great joy and faith. Many religious text in Hindu traditions have a gist of the festival’s significance. “Gita“, also known as Krishna’s voice, says the deities are awake six months of Uttarayan. 

In addition, the six-month period of Dakhshinayan is the night for Gods. An individual who sacrifices his body during Uttarayan gets a position in Krishna Lok (Krishna kingdom). One who dies in Dakshinayan will be reborn, whereas the one who dies in Samsara will be liberated.

Makar Sankranti Religious Story

Another true story, Bhishma Pithama was blessed with the wish of death in the Mahabharata era. Even as he lay on the bed of arrows in Dakshinayan, he did not sacrifice himself, and in Uttarayan, he waited for the Sun to disappear. According to the legend Bhishma Pithama left his body en the sun entered the Uttarayan on Makar Sankranti

One More True Story

Another religious story about Makar Sankranti claims that Yashoda Mata kept fast in order to have Krishna as her son. The story of Gangawatran is also connects with Makar Sankranti. As a result, on Makar Sankranti, Ganga met the ocean after following Bhagirath Muni. Makar Sankranti attracts many devotees to take a bath in Gangasagar because of the confluence of water from the Ganga and the ocean.

Saturn rules the sign of Capricorn. During Makar Sankranti, the sun enters the Saturn sign. Sun God is the father of Saturn. Father goes to meet his son in his home. Both Saturn and Sun are mighty planets, who can inspire humans to great success with their auspicious blessings. In this way, the people take delight in the sun and Saturn on the holy festival of Makar Sankranti.

Unknown facts about the Festival

1. Makar Sankranti is a rare Hindu Festival based on solar cycles.
   
2. Change in date after 100 years. Not many people are aware of this but every 100 years the date changes.
   
3.  The festival marks as a symbol of ending inauspicious month in Hindu Calendar.
   
4. Goodness & happiness starts on Makar Sankranti as the sun begins the revolution to northwards.
   
5. Every 12 Years there’s worlds’ largest mass pilgrimage where people attend the event, setting the highest record every time
   
6. As it is the ancient solstice festival in hindu tradition, it falls on the equinox day, day and night becomes equal.
   
7. This is the only Hindu festival with several names in different cultures with the same significance.