Kites fluttering in the sky, bullfights and bonfires.
Makar Sankranti always falls on the 14th day of January every year. Since it is a solar
event, this festival matches the English calendar. According to the Hindu Calendar, this
festival falls in the month of Magh.
As we all know, the earth moves around the sun in an orbit. It takes the earth one year to
revolve around the sun. During the earth's movement, the earth's axis is tilted. On 22nd
December, the South Pole of the earth is closest to the Sun and six months later in June,
the North Pole of the earth is closest to the Sun. To the people on earth, it seems that
the Sun starts moving from the South to the North. This movement in the northerly
direction is called 'uttarayana'. It is believed that uttarayana begins on Makar
Sankranti.
In Maharashtra, sweets made of til ( sesame) are exchanged with the words "Eat the
sweet and speak sweetly," in Marathi. It is also a day for flying kites. In many
parts of western India there are many kite flying competitions held on this day. The skies
are filled with colourful kites. The rooftops and terraces are filled with the young and
old people participating in the kite flying competitions. When another kite cuts a kite,
there are huge cheers, which fill the air.
Around this time on the 13th of January, the Punjabis celebrate Lohri with a huge bonfire
and offer rice and sweets to the bonfire. Sugarcane juice, jaggery and sesame sweets are
distributed. In other parts of South India like Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, it is the
end of the harvest season and the festival of pongal is celebrated. The first day of
pongal is spent with the family and kolam designs are made with rice flour outside the
house. Beautiful decorations of mango and coconut leaves are used to decorate doorways and
the entrances to houses. On the second day of pongal people offer they're thanks to the
sun which gives them warmth and helps their crops to grow and sweet rice and milk are
cooked. The last day of pongal is dedicated to the cattle.
During pongal, bullfighting is a major event enjoyed by all. The bulls are decorated with
bells on their horns and they run wild through crowds while men try to capture the bull
and the men are then declared as heroes.
Makar Sankranti is a festival when people give grain as daan (charity). This also
symbolises sharing and goodwill towards others.
