· A festival of celestialimportance,MakarSankranti is considered to be extremely auspicious, because it marks the first day of the sun’s transition into the sun sign Capricorn or Makara in Hindi.
· The festival is observed each year and is dedicated to the Sun God.
· This year, it will be celebrated on the 15th of January, which is a Wednesday.
· For farmers this celebration is completion of harvesting season.
MakarSankrantiKaalMuhurata
MakaraSankranti on Thursday, January 14, 2021
MakaraSankrantiPunya Kala - 08:30 AM to 05:47 PM
Duration - 09 Hours 17 Mins
MakaraSankrantiMahaPunya Kala - 08:30 AM to 10:15 AM
Duration - 01 Hour 45 Mins
· The festival is also hailed as the ‘festival of kites’ that marks the end of the winter and announces the arrival of spring.
· It is one of the few ancient festivals that is observed as per the solar cycles ones of the Hindu calendar.
· It is to be noted that the festival has different names and is celebrated in many parts of the country. For instance, while in Maharashtra it is known as PeddaPandaga, in West Bengal it is called PoushShongkranti. The Assamese call it MaghBihu, and the Tamilians Thai Pongal.
The History
· According to legends, it is believed that Sankranti — after whom the festival is named — was a deity, who killed a demon called Sankarasur.
· In India, it is considered to be a date from when the sun begins to move north, as before MakarSankranti, the sun was shining on the southern hemisphere.
· The Hindus believe this period to be the uttaarayan — or the period of auspiciousness. According to the Mahabharata, BhishmaPitamah had waited for the sun to be in uttarayan to embrace death.
· On this day, people wake up early and express their gratitude towards the Sun God. Some people take a dip in one of the holy rivers and chant mantras.
· Others begin their day by dressing well and flying kites. In many parts of the country, kite-flying competitions are held. It is symbolic in nature, because it said that the higher your kite flies, the higher you go in life in terms of prosperity.
· Communities come together and share sweets and laddoos made of sesame (til) and jaggery (gur).