On this day people eat "Khichadi" made of rice and dal. The Paush month is also
known as Dhundhur Mas and people eat "bajari"
bread mixed with "til" (Sesamum). On the feast
of Sankrant "til" is given great importance, for
in this season it is considered to have special
nutritive and medicinal qualities. "Til" is a
very oil-rich seed. Mixed with jaggery or sugar
it becomes a very sticky sweet which people exchange
with one another as a sign of friendship.
"Tilgul
ghya, god bola." ("Take tilgul and speak sweetly")
is the phrase on everybody's lips. With this
good social custom enimities are forgotten and
new friendships started. People are encouraged
to emulate the quality of "Tilgul" and stick together in permanent union and love.
On this day ladies apply "halad-kumkum" (turmeric powder) on each other's forehead, and children fly kites. Many people bathe at Prayag, near Allahabad, at the meeting point of the Ganges and the Yamuna.
Makara Sankranti is also celebrated throughout India as a harvest festival. It is a way of giving thanks to the elements of nature that help man. This is the period when the winter recedes, paving the way for the summer. It is the time the farmers bring home their harvest. In the coastal regions, it is a harvest festival dedicated to Indra. In Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, it is celebrated as a three-day harvest festival, Pongal. In Assam, the festival is celebrated as Bhogali Bihu, and in Punjab it is called Lohri.
Throughout the length and breadth
of India, 14th January is considered a holy day
for sacred baths in places of pilgrimage, rivers
and tanks. In fact, bathing is considered mandatory
on this day, and according to a popular local
belief in the hills of Uttar Pradesh, one who
does not bathe on Makara Sankranti is born a donkey
in his next birth. The maximum gatherings are
to be found at Triveni sangam in Allahabad, at
an island near Calcutta and at Brahmasarovara
of Kurukshetra. The sacred Ganges is believed
to have descended on this day from the heavens,
in order to reach Patala. The story connected with it is
well known. Apart from Triveni, ritual bathing
also takes place at many places like Haridvar
and Garh Mukteshwar in Uttar Pradesh, and Patna
in Bihar.
A big fair is held at the confluence
of the Ganga, the Yamuna and the Sarasvati rivers
at Triveni in Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh) on this
occasion. Being the month of Magha, this fair
is also called Magha Mela.
Since it is also the season to
fly kites, the evening sky is a wash with
colourful kites of all shapes and sizes.Several kite competitions are held
in various localities. |
