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The First Festival of the Century- Makar Sankranti Anita Thakur The cultural insights for this article were gleaned from India Perspective a magazine published for the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi. Inputs on South Inidian celeberations came from Nalini Rao of Dell Computers, Austin.

Makar Sankranti, or Pongal as it is called in South India, marks the commencement of the Sun's journey to the Northern Hemisphere (Makara raasi). It signifys the onset of Uttarayana Punyakalam, and is a day of celebration all over the country. Every year the festival is held on the 14th or the 15th of January. People believe that the first rays of the Sun on the day of Sankranthi will bring them a good harvest. It is also celebrated to mark the change of seasons, from winter to spring, sun enters the Capricorn. The main harvest in this season is Daals (Cereals - all types), pumpkins and many a types of beans. Pooja's (sacred rites) are performed to please the Gods of Harvests and Goodwill.

The day begins with people taking holy dips in the waters and worshipping the Sun. Traditionally, this period is considered an auspicious time and the veteran Bhishma of Mahabharata chose to die during this period. Bhishma fell to the arrows of Arjun. With his boon to choose the time of his death, he waited on a bed of arrows to depart from this world only during this period. It is believed that those who die in this period have no rebirth.

The Indo Gangetic plain begins this day with taking dips in the Ganga and offering water to the Sun god. The dip is said to purify the self and bestow punya. Special puja is offered as a thanksgiving for good harvest. According to folklore, girls who take the holy dip get handsome husbands and boys get beautiful brides. The Cows in India are Sacred. Besides, they have always been intergral to agriculture and farming since the beginning of civilization. On Sankranthi they are decorated, worhipped and fed sweets! People pray to the Lord to let the rays of the Sun bring them good luck.

The day begins with a holy bath in the river or at home. This is followed with 'Daan' (donation) of

Ram Khichri. (Rice and Moong Dal mixed)
Ghee or Cooking oil.
Salt.
Papad.
Til ke ladoos.
Some rice and water in a small Lota.

Next, housewives perform puja. They first clean the puja room, then light a lamp in front of the Gods. The puja ritual is elaborate.

In Himachal Pardesh a special lentil called 'Kulthi' is used instead of Moong dal. They also consume khichri made of kulthi and rice or kulthi stuffed parathas. One can say this festival is good for the poor in the society as nearly everyone gives daan. 'Daan' on this day is considered to be of high merit.

Til (Sesame) and rice are two important ingredients of this festival. One can smell til and gur all around at home and in the shops. In the rice-eating belt of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh, people have a special rice-centric meal on this day.

In Calcutta, the day is marked with the Gangasagar Mela. People converge from all over India for a ceremonial dip in the river Hooghly. The water level is low at this time of the year so the dip is good fun. Chaat and other delicacies are sold by the riverside and children have a great time.

In Maharashtra, when two persons greet each other on this festive day, they exchange a few grains of multi-coloured sugar and fried til mixed with molasses and say "til gud ghya, god god bola" (henceforth, let there be only friendship and good thoughts between us).

In Gujarat, the pandits consider Sankranti as an auspicious day to grant scholarships and certificates of merit to students who have successfully completed their studies in philosophy. In a Hindu household, new utensils are purchased and used for the first time. Brightly coloured kites dot the skies.

In Karnataka, men, women and children attired in colourful tunics visit friends and relatives and exchange pieces of sugarcane, a mixture of fried til, molasses, pieces of dry coconut, peanuts and fried gram. The significance of this exchange is that sweetness should prevail in all dealings. As part of the festival, cows and bulls are given a wash. Their horns are painted with bright colours and decorated with garlands. They are taken in a procession through the village to the accompaniment of pipes and drums. In the night a bonfire is lit and the animals are made to jump over the fire.

It is a big event for the Tamils and the people of Andhra Pradesh. The Telugus like to call it 'Pedda Panduga' meaning big festival. The whole event lasts for four days - Bhogi, Sankranti, Kanuma and Mukkanuma. It is customary to wear new clothes visit each other's homes and distribute Jaggery. Most people in the South also draw colourful Rangoli at thier front doors. The festivities are largely women centered. Small girls of the community are bestowed special blessings by the elder women.

Bhogi is called 'Lohri' in the North India. It is celeberated on Sankranti eve. It is a special occasion for newly wed couples and new born children. The first 'Lohri' of a newly wed and a new born child is celeberated by inviting relatives and community members. A bon fire is lit and everyone offers 'gur' (jaggery) and 'til' (seasame seeds) to the fire and give gifts and blessings to the baby or the couple. Rewari, gajak and roasted peanuts are offered for consumption. People sit around the fire and sing folk songs and dance with 'dholak'.

In some places of Himachal and Panjab, on 'Lohri' eve people celeberate 'Holaan'. They make a bon fire and roast 'fresh chholia'(green gram) in pods with its leaves and stems intact, and eat it. It is a messy affair. The ashes fly around and hands and mouth get black. However, people ignore the messiness in favor of the delicious flavor and the sweet taste. They also sing and dance sitting around the fire. Lohri and 'Holaan' are community festivals and are always celeberated by getting together with neighbours and the relatives.

In Rajasthan, according to Dr Modi Ishwar of Jaipur University, Makar Sankranti, one of the four main festivals of Hindus. The traditional form of celeberation was kite-flying. Weeks before and after the festival itself, flying kites on the roof toops under a sunny sky during the peak winter season, provided the ideal opportunity to men, women and children alike to have recourse to a playful activity. Virtually the whole city could be seen on the roof tops of the houses. He says it would be no exaggeration to say that flying kites in Jaipur was probably the single most popular game anywhere in which the entire population of a city participated irrespecive of age, sex, cast or creed.

This year in Houston, TX, USA, Indians held a kite flying event to celeberate Sankranti. There was a large participation by the community and the sky was filled with colourful kites. The event was mainly held to foster community relations.

Makar Sankranti is celebrated in all parts of India and its Sanctity is accepted by all the Hindus. The month preceeding Sankranti is called Dhanurmasam and is also considered an auspicious period. During the month, people wake up early, take bath and go around the streets singing devotional songs. Houses are whitewashed and farmers clean their warehouses. Colorful rangoli (muggulu) are drawn in the front yards of every house during this month. These artistic floral designs are drawn on the floor with rice flour or fine powder from limestone. These patterns are decorated with marigold placed on cowdung balls. Colorfully dressed young girls go round them singing songs

Credits

• Cultural insight by India Perspective Magazine.
• Inputs on South Inidian celeberations came from Nalini Rao of Dell Computers, Austin.
• Written by Anita Thakur.
• Edited by Reeta Sinha.
• Excerpts from Dr. Ishwar Modi's book, 'Leisure Mass Media & Social Structure.