18 Jan 2022 Makar Sankranti
- Recently, the people across the country were greeted by the Prime Minister on the occasion of harvest festivals Makar Sankranti, Uttarayan, Bhogi, Magh Bihu and Pongal.
- Through these festivals lakhs of farmers across the country celebrate their hard work and enterprise.
Makar Sankranti:
- Makar Sankranti marks the entry of the Sun into Makar Rashi (Capricorn) as it revolves around its celestial path.
- The day marks the beginning of summer and an auspicious six-month period for Hindus, known as Uttarayan (Northward movement of the Sun).
- International Kite Festival is organized since 1989 by the Government of Gujarat as an official festival of ‘Uttarayan’.
- The celebrations associated with this day are known by different names in different parts of the country:
- In the form of Lohri by North Indian Hindus and Sikhs.
- Sankarat in Central India.
- Bhogali Bihu by Assamese Hindus.
- In the form of Pongal by Tamil and other South Indian Hindus.
Bihu:
- It is celebrated when the annual harvest takes place in Assam. People celebrate Rongali/Magh Bihu to mark the beginning of the Assamese New Year.
- The festival is believed to have originated from the time when the people of the valley started plowing the land. The Bihu festival is believed to be as old as the Brahmaputra River.
Pongal:
- The word Pongal means ‘Overflow’ or Boiling Over.
- Also known as Thai Pongal, this four-day festival is celebrated in the month of ‘Thai’ according to the Tamil calendar, when crops like paddy are harvested and people show their gratitude to God and the charity of the land.
- During this festival Tamil people make traditional Rangoli called Kolam in front of their homes with rice flour.
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