Makar Sankranti or Maghi is the day when the sun transit into makara raasi (Capricorn) in the first month of the year. The festival is usually celebrated during the 3rd week as a token of happiness for harvesting the crops and bringing the fresh produce home.
It is a south Indian festival, especially for Andhra Pradesh. However, it is celebrated throughout India with different names. The rituals observance there in also depends on the state and its culture. But nevertheless, of the region it is renowned as the Harvesting festival of India. Nowadays it is not only a simple festival but also cause a quick business boom for all four days.
In olden days it was completely a different scenario, but the modern busy work life gave very few chances for the people to travel long distance in short holiday time.
Hotels & restaurants are providing festival offers and celebrations to grab the craze for Sankranti. During this time, hotel menus are filled with local traditional varieties and decorations. Special offers, food melas and deals are also announced to attract more customers while giving them a happy experience of festival celebrations with friends and family.
Here is the significance of Sankranti’s in Indian culture
Every festival in India portraits the substance and value of different cultures. Sankranti is one of few festivals celebrated in all states, since the harvesting season is joyful for both to the famer’s family and to the country all together. The many months of hard work will be accomplished with immense happiness of seeing the well ripened crops which are ready to be reaped. Everyone enjoys the time visiting relatives. Collectively making rangoli and sharing the special recipes with each other.
This will form new relations and strengthens social life. Apart from cultural significance, Sankranti gives ultimate fun to all age groups enjoying playfully with rooster fights and bullock cart competition. Kids prepare their colorful kites, having no wings but jolly enough to fly. Women of all ages enjoy making rangoli, cooking traditional recipes to pamper the senses of their guests.
All together this festive time signifies the importance of relationships and enjoyment in life at all stages.
4 days of Merry Pongal
The 4-day celebration starts with the prior evening work of making colorful rangoli to welcome Sankranti.
The first day of celebration is all about making bonfires and warming each other in the wintery cold weather. Cow is a holy animal to Hindus. Hence dried cow dung is used as a main ingredient along with old unused furniture in the fire.
The second day is considered to be the main part of the celebration called ‘Makara Sankranti’ in which cultural wise rituals are performed and different varieties of foods are prepared to share with family and friends. Though kites are flied throughout four days, Makar Sankranti commences this event. The primary purpose of kite flying is to create refreshing outdoor games in the early hours of sun. The kites flying high in the sky will also symbolizes the need to set up higher aspirations and goals in life. It will encourage the kids to have a healthy competitiveness among themselves and making new friends.
The third day is Kanuma which is the festival of cattle. Farmers worship cattle and run bullock cart competitions. Since cattle are the most important help for a farmer to plough the farming land and to use as means of transport, they have a special day of reverence for them.
The fourth and last day of festival is Mukkanuma, which is the festival of food. In Andhra the term Mukka means meat, hence it is a saying that Mukkanuma day must consists a meaty meal. Animals and birds are sacrifices to deities and eaten as a holy food.
Local carnivals called ‘Jaathara’ will be held on this day. In which all the local village people celebrate together in an open place with cultural dances and other forms of entertainments.
During Sankranti, people from cities move to their ancestral or native homes in villages to celebrate the festival with their near and dear ones.
