History of Makar Sankrati

Makar Sankrati

Sometimes it is celebrated on or before one or the other day i.e. 13 or 15 January but this is rarely done. Makar Sankranti is directly related to the geography and position of the sun. Whenever the Sun comes on Makar Line, that day is only on January 14, hence the Makar Sankranti is celebrated on this day.From astrological point of view, on this day, the Sun enters the sagittant amount and enters the Capricorn and the speed of the nighting of the Sun begins.

In the isolated areas of India, the festival of Makar Sankranti is celebrated differently. In Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka it is called Sankranti and in Tamil Nadu it is celebrated as Pongal festival. At this time, new crop is welcomed in Punjab and Haryana and Lohri festivals are celebrated, while in the form of Bihu in Assam this festival is celebrated with glee. In each province, its name and way of celebrating vary.According to different beliefs, the recipes of this festival are also different, but the pulse and rice khichadi have become the main identities of this festival. It is important to eat khichdi in particular with jaggery and ghee. Apart from this, sesame and jaggery also have great importance on Makar Sankranti. This morning, after bathing sesame, the bath is done after rubbing. Apart from this, sesame and jaggery laddus and other dishes are also made. At this time Suhagana women also exchange the contents of the suhag. It is believed that this makes her husband’s age longer.

 

Why do we Celebrate it?

The main reason to celebrate Makar Sankranti is to celebrate the harvest season. There are various factors which lead to this celebration. Firstly, before this the farmers have sown seeds and ploughed the fields for a good harvest which gives them good business in the coming year. Secondly, Makar Sankranti means that from now on days are going to be longer and the nights are going to be shorter. Thirdly, this is celebration time which is extremely auspicious as per the hindu calendar.

For example, a key festival in northern India and more specifically one of the main festivals of Punjab, Lohri is a festival which is celebrated with much pomp and show. What makes this festival even more special is that it is perfectly timed with the chill on our heads and the new year which just went by. This auspicious festival is going to be celebrated on 13th January 2018. The key reason behind celebrating Lohri is the onset of the harvest season in Punjab. This is commemorated by paying respect and homage to the sun god, Surya.