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15 JAN 2016 MAKAR SANKRATI

Makar Sankranti – The Festival Of Harvest

January 11, 2015 by RitikaBasotia 2 Comments

Makar Sankranti – The Festival Of Harvest

So the first festival of the year is here. Makar Sankranti will be celebrated on 14th January this year. I like festivals and I totally love this one too but not everybody knows the reason behind the celebration of this festival.

Today I shall share with you about the reasons behind its celebration and how it is celebrated throughout the nation. Read on:

Makar Sankranti is among the most auspicious occasions for Hindus and is celebrated in almost all parts of India in the third week of January. It is a festival of harvest and is celebrated in many cultural forms with great devotion and cheerfulness. Makar Sankranti is one such festival that is celebrated on the same date every year i.e. 14th January but only for few exceptions the festival may be celebrated on 13th January and 15th January.

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The festival of Makar Sankranti is referred to the transitional phase where the Sun transits or moves from the house of Sagittarius to the house of Capricorn. Makar Sankranti signifies lighting inner self and is also known as the festival of thanksgiving.

There is some astrological and mythological significance behind the celebration of Makar Sakranti:

ASTROLOGICAL SIGINIFICANCE:

The festival “Makar Sankranti” has the significance of its celebration in its name, Makar means Capricornand Sankranti means Transition. There is a transition of Sun from the house of one Zodiac Sign to the house of other Zodiac sign, twelve months for twelve zodiac signs. Out of all the transitions, the transition of Sun from the house of Dhanu (Sagittarius) to the house of Makar (Capricorn) is considered to be the most important transition of Sun. This day is considered to be the one of the most auspicious day and marks the beginning of the six month long UTTARAYANA.

It is also believed that from the day Makar Sankranti the days begin to be warmer and longer and thereby gradually heading towards the decline in the chills of the winter season.

MYTHOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

  • According to the Puranas, on this day the SUN “Surya Devta” visits the house of his son “Shani”, who owns the house of Makar Raashi “SAGITTARIUS”. The father and son did not ever get along well but despite of all the differences between them. The father “SUN” visits the house of his son “SHANI” and stays with the son for a month.

  • From the day of Makar Sankrant starts the day of the “DEVTAS”. In Rajasthan there is a term called “Mal MAAS”, the month where no auspicious deeds are done, and the day of Makar Sankranti marks the end of “Mal Maas”.

  • On the day of Makar Sankranti, Lord Vishnu brought an end to the negatives powers, “ASURAS”. Lord Vishnu buried the heads of the Asuras under the ‘Mandar Parvat’. The day signifies the end of the negative energies and the new beginnings of moral livings.

  • Bhishma Pitamah from Mahabharat had a boon of Ichcha- Mrityu and he chose the day of Makar Sakranti to die. He kept lying on the beds of arrows till the day of Makar Sankranti and his soul let his body on this day. It is believed that one who dies on this day and during this period of Uttarayana achieves “Mukti”, i.e. free from the circle of transmigration.

CULTURE & CELEBRATION

Indian is a land of diversities; each festival here is celebrated in a different way in different states and so is the celebration and pooja of Makar Sankranti is different throughout the nation. Have a look at how our land of diversities celebrates Makar Sankranti.

Rajasthan

Makar Sankranti is known as Sankrant here and is one of the major festivals. The day is celebrated with special Rajasthani delicacies and sweets such as Til-paati, Gajak, Ghevar, Pakodi, Puwa, Til-laddoo and Pheeni. The ladies from Rajasthan observe a unique ritual in which they give a type of object relating to household, Suhaag or Food to 14 married women. The object is never repeated and it is a new object every year. People also give many other kinds of small gifts such as til-gud (jaggery), fruits, dry khichadi, etc. to Brahmins or to the needy people.

Kite Flying is a major tradition here. The skies filled with kites here and especially the regions of Jaipur & Hadoti have the major Kites Flying.

Gujarat

In Gujarat there is a custom of giving gifts to relatives. The elders in the family give gifts to the younger members of the family. The Gujarati Pandits on this auspicious day of Makar Sankranti grant scholarships to their students for higher studies in astrology and philosophy. They exchange till- laddus and til- pattis among neighbors.

Kite flying is a major attraction here. Kite flying in Gujarat has become an internationally well-known event.

Uttar Pradesh

In Uttar Pradesh, Makar Sankranti is called ‘Khichiri’. Taking a dip in the holy rivers on this day is regarded as most auspicious. A big one-month long ‘Magha-Mela’ fair begins at Prayag (Allahabad) on this occasion of Makar Sankranti.

Punjab

In Punjab huge bonfires are lit on the eve of Sankranti which is celebrated as “LOHRI”. Sweets, sugarcane, revdi and rice are thrown in the bonfires, around which friends and relatives gather together.

The following day, which is the day of Makar Sankranti, is celebrated as MAGHI. The Punjabi males dance their famous Bhangra dance and Women play Giddas, later a sumptuous dinner follows. In Punjab Kite Flying is done on Lohri i.e. on 13th January.

Maharashtra

In Maharashtra on the day of Makar Sankranti people exchange multi-colored til guds made from til (sesame seeds) and til-laddus, offer Til-polis for lunch. While exchanging til guds as tokens of goodwill people greet each other saying – ‘til-gud ghya, god god bola’ meaning ‘accept these tilguds and speak sweet words’. This is a special day for the women in Maharashtra; married women are invited for a get-together called ‘Haldi-Kumkum’ and exchange gifts of any utensil, which the woman of the house purchases on that day.

Bengal

Every year in Bengal a huge Fair i.e. Mela is held at Ganga Sagar. This mela is attended by a large number of pilgrims from all over the country.

Andhra Pradesh

In Andhra Pradesh, it is celebrated as a four-day harvest festival known as Pongal. It is a big event for the people of Andhra Pradesh and the whole event lasts for four days, the first day Bhogi, the second day Sankranti, the third day Kanuma and the fourth day, Mukkanuma.

Tamil Nadu

In Tamil Nadu, Makar Sankranti is known by the name of ‘Pongal’ and this festival has more significance than Diwali. It is very popular especially amongst farmers. Rice and pulses cooked together in ghee and milk is offered to the family deity after the ritual worship. In South the Makar Sankranti is a ‘Puja’ for the Sun God.

Kerala

The 40 days Anushthana performed by the devotees of Ayyappa ends on this day of Makar Sankranti in Sabarimala with a big celebration.

Bundelkhand & Madhya Pradesh

In Bundelkhand and Madhya Pradesh this festival of Sankrant is known by the name ‘Sankrant’ and is celebrated with great joy accompanied by lot of sweets.

Assam

In Assam, the festival is celebrated as Bhogali Bihu with feasting that lasts for a week. Young people erect makeshift huts, known as Meji, from bamboo, leaves and thatch, in which they eat the food prepared for the feast, and then burn the huts the next morning. The celebrations also feature traditional Assamese games such as Tekeli Bhonga (pot-breaking) and Buffalo Fighting.

This was all about Makar Sankranti. People on this day wake up early pray to Surya Devta and spend a day filled with morals and positivities.

Wish you all a Happy Makar Sankranti

I am going to fly kites and bother not about my skin getting tanned, distribute sweets and clothes.

How are you going to celebrate Makar Sankranti?

Description: This article highlights the importance of the Hindu festival, Makar Sankrāntī.

Introduction

All religious festivals are intended to be celebrated in a spiritually correct way so as to derive spiritual benefits from them. However, over a period of time, the local customs influence the celebrations. According to the rule that ‘customs have more impact on people than the Scriptures;’ humans emulate others blindly and celebrate festivals in their own way. Thus Makar Sankranti is celebrated differently in different parts of Bharat (India). In this article, we will explain the spiritual science underlying the celebration of Makar Sankranti, which we hope will motivate our readers to celebrate it in the spiritually correct way.

Importance of Makar Sankranti

1. Worldly importance

In Bharat, Makar Sankranti is celebrated to let go of our differences with each other and increase love (prēmbhāv) in us. One way people come close together on this day, is by distributing sweets to each other. These sweets are typically made of sesame seeds.

2. Spiritual importance

a. On Makar Sankranti from sunrise to sunset, the environment is full of Chaitanya(Divine Consciousness). Thus, a seeker doing sādhanā (spiritual practice) can derive the maximum benefit of the increased Chaitanya. Due to the Chaitanya, Tējtattva(Absolute Fire Principle) also increases in seekers.

b. The day of Makar Sankranti is very conducive for sadhana.

Spiritual significance of sweets made out of sesame seeds

a. Before distributing sweets made out of sesame seeds, they should be kept in front of an idol or a picture of a Deity on one’s altar. This helps retain the Shakti (Divine Energy) and Chaitanya in the sweets.

b. When distributing sweets made of sesame seeds, bhāv (spiritual emotion) and Chaitanya is awakened in us.

c. All the members of the house derive the benefit of the increased Chaitanya in the environment.

d. The prembhav in people increases and they are able to overcome negative thinking and replace it with positive thinking.

e. According to Āyurvēda, eating sesame seeds in winter is beneficial for our health. Spiritually, sesame seeds and sesame oil have the ability to absorb and emit Sattva frequencies more than any other oil. Hence, during Makar Sankranti, sesame seeds are favorable for good sadhana to happen.

f. Importance of sesame seed sweets: Sesame seeds have the ability to absorb and emit high amounts of Sattva frequencies. By consuming sesame seed sweets, inner purification happens which helps improve one’s sadhana. By distributing these sweets to each other, there is an exchange of sāttviktā, which helps increase everyone’s sattvikta.

Hindu festivals are great opportunities to imbibe the increased amount of positive energy and Deities’ principle in the environment. However this is possible only if one celebrates the festivals as per the guidance of Hindu Dharma. By adhering to Dharma we can derive the maximum benefit of each festival thereby purifying ourselves as well as the environment.

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Home Articles How to celebrate Makar Sankranti?

How to celebrate Makar Sankranti?

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Description: This article provides information about how to celebrate the Hindu festival Makar Sankrāntī.

Every eighty years, the difference created due to the revolution of the Earth around the sun is made up by postponing MakarSankranti by a day. Makar Sankranti 2015 falls on 14th January. Makar Sankranti is celebrated differently in different parts of Bharat (India). In this article, we will explain some ways of celebrating Makar Sankranti. People usually celebrate Makar Sankranti according to their local customs; however, the following points can help in celebrating this day in spiritually beneficial ways.

  1. Increase sāttviktā: On this day, there is increased Chaitanya in the environment. Hence, one should avoid activities that increase Raja-Tama; for example drinking alcohol, eating meat, etc., and one should perform activities which will increasesattvikta so as to derive the benefits of the increased Chaitanya. E.g. visiting a temple, attending a satsang, reading spiritual books, etc.

  2. Increase sādhanā: Makar Sankranti is very conducive for sadhana; hence one should try to do maximum sadhana on this day. E.g. chanting the Name of God, performing satsēvā , etc.

  3. Holy bath: On Makar Sankranti, a Holy bath at any Holy place on the banks of the rivers Ganga, Yamuna, Krushna, Godavari, etc. yields great merits. However, in the absence of any such place, when having a bath at home, one can keep bhāv (spiritual emotion) that the water is from Holy Rivers and one is at a Holy place. A bath with sesame seeds helps purify our body. (One can put a handful of sesame seeds in a bucket of hot water, and pour this water on the body).

  4. Donations and offerings: The period from Makar Sankranti (14 January in 2014) to Rathsaptami (6 February in 2014) is called a Transition period (Parvakāl or sandhikāl). Any offerings / donations (dān) and meritorious acts done during this period definitely yield fruit. One can donate items like new utensils, clothes, food, sesame seeds, gold, land, etc. While giving the donation, one can chant the Name of God. One can also donate money for spreading Spirituality and Dharma in society.

  5. Gift spiritual items: In some parts of Bharat, women organize haldī-kumkum. It is a custom to give some offerings known as ‘vaan’. These days, the ‘vaan’ consists of non-sāttvik items such as plastic items, soaps, etc. Instead, one should give items which will be useful for spiritual purposes, like incense sticks, Holy Scriptures, books on Spirituality, pictures of Deities, etc. It will help the person receiving the ‘vaan’, derive spiritual benefits of Makar Sankranti.

  6. On Makar Sankranti, one should avoid speaking foul language or words and avoid situations that generate sexual feelings.

Celebrating festivals in a way that attracts sattvikta and Chaitanya and reduces Raja-Tama in the environment increases overallsattvikta in the society. When the sattvikta of the society increases, the influence of the negative energies on us reduces considerably, thereby reducing the problems caused by the negative energies. In a way, through these celebrations, our spiritual practice for the sake of society (samashti sadhana) happens and our spiritual progress happens rapidly.

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