Makar Sankranti marks the transition of the Sun into

Makara rashi (Capricorn) on its celestial path.

Traditionally, this has been one of many harvest days in

India.
 Shishur Saenkraat

Maghi

yan Makara Sankranthi

a ra
t
Ut

Bihu

Sankranthi
All Over
India
Pongal
Mythology and cultural significance
Another well-known reference of this day came when the great
grand-sire of Mahabharata fame, Bhishma, declared his intent to
leave his mortal coil on this day. He had the boon of Ichha-
Mrityu(death at his will) from his father, so he kept lying on the bed
of arrows till this day and then left his mortal coil on Makar
Sankranti day. It is believed that the person, who dies during the
period of Uttarayana, becomes free from transmigration(rebirth).
So this day was seen as a definite auspicious day to start a journey
or endeavors to the higher realms beyond

It was on this day when Lord Vishnu ended the ever increasing
terror of the Asuras(Demons) by finishing them off and burying
their heads under the Mandara Parvata. So this occasion also
represents the end of 'negativities' and beginning of an era of
righteous living
 Traditions
* Millions of people take a dip in places like Ganga Sagar (the point where the river Ganges
meets the Bay of Bengal) and Prayag and pray to the Sun God.

* It is celebrated with pomp in southern parts of India as Pongal/Sankranthi

* In the western Indian state of Gujarat, the celebrations are even bigger. People offer
thousands of their colorful oblations to the Sun in the form of beautiful kites. The act stands as a
metaphor for reaching to their beloved God.

* At the start of this significant event, there is also worship for the departed ancestors.

* Makara Sankranti identifies a period of enlightenment, peace, prosperity and happiness

followed by a period of darkness, ignorance and viciousness with immense sorrow.

* Laddu of til made with Jaggery is a specialty of the festival. In the western Indian state of
Maharashtra it is called 'Tilgul'. In Karnataka it is called 'Yellu-Bella'. Food prepared for this
festival is such that it keeps the body warm and gives high energy.
Sankranthi in Andhra Pradesh
Day 1 - Bhogi
Day 2 - Makara Sankranti
Day 3 - Kanuma
Day 4 - Mukkanuma

Bhogi (Bon)Fire
Andhra Traditions
Sankranthi Muggulu
 Gujarat

• In Gujarat, there is a custom of giving gifts to relatives.

• The Gujarati Pundits on this auspicious day grant scholarships
to students for higher studies in astrology and philosophy.
• Kite flying has been associated with this festival in a big way.
It has become an internationally known event. Brightly
colored kites dot the skies, in celebration of Makar Sankranti. 
 Kite Festival
•India has a very ancient kite tradition. Most people believe that kites were
first brought into India by the Chinese travellers, Fa Hien and Hiuen Tsang
but from there the kites have taken their own evolutionary route in India.

•Indian kites are almost exclusively fighter kites. They are made of tissue
paper and bamboo and almost all Indian kites have a very similar shape a
diamond shaped piece of tissue with a central spine and a single bow.

*Indian kite is a superb flying machine, capable of responding to the flyers’

lightest touch, extremely maneuverable and perfectly suited to its function.

* The generic name for a kite in India is Patang.

Kites and Spools
 Manjha
(Glass coated cotton line)

Manjha Maker In Action

Birdling Technique
 Sankranthi Kite flying videos
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x68I54nn
aJk

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=CGgQFW72jv8&playnext=1&list=PL89153F9
525EC4738&index=2
 Tamil Nadu - Pongal

• It is a four day festival in Tamil Nadu:

• Day 1 - Bhogi Pandigai (Bhogi)
• Day 2 - Thai Pongal
• Day 3 - Maattu Pongal
• Day 4 - Kaanum Pongal
 Pongal

• The first day of festival is Bhogi

It is celebrated by throwing away and

destroying old clothes and materials,
by setting them on fire, marking the
end of the old and the emergence of
the new.
 Thai Pongal
• The second day of festival is Thai Pongal or
simply Pongal.

It is the main day of the festival, It is celebrated by
boiling rice with fresh milk and jaggery in new pots,
which are later topped with brown sugar, cashew nuts
and raisins early in the morning and allowing it to boil
over the vessel.

Then New boiled rice is offered to the Nature during
sunrise, a gesture which symbolises thanks to the sun
and nature for providing prosperity.
 Pongal
• The third day of festival is Maattu Pongal.

It is for offering thanks to cattle, as they help farmer in
different ways for agriculture. On this day the cattle are
decorated with paint, flowers and bells. They are allowed to
roam free and fed sweet rice and sugar cane. Some people
decorate the horns with gold or other metallic covers.
 Kaanum Pongal
• The fourth day of the festival is Kaanum
Pongal (the word kaanum means "to view").
– During this day people visit their relatives, friends to enjoy the
festive season. This day is a day to thank relatives and friends
for their support in the harvest.
 Maharashtra
• In Maharashtra on the Makar Sankranti (मकर
संक्रान्ति) day people exchange multi-colored
tilguls made from til (sesame seeds) and sugar
and til-laddus made from til and jaggery.
 Maharashtra
• The underlying thought in the exchange of
tilguls is to forget the past ill-feelings and
hostilities and resolve to speak sweetly and
remain friends.
• This is a special day for the women in
Maharashtra when married women are
invited for a get-together called ‘Haldi-
Kunku’(turmeric & kumkum)
 Punjab

• In Punjab huge bonfires are lit on the eve of Sankrant and

which is celebrated as "Lohri". Sweets, sugarcane and rice are
thrown in the bonfires, around which friends and relatives
gather together.
• The following day, which is Sankrant is celebrated as MAGHI.
The Punjabi's dance their famous "Bhangra dance" and enjoy a
huge festival meal which includes Sarson Ka Saag and Makki Di
Roti.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEMjyDKpMYg
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QogDy3RnM4
•
 UTTAR PRADESH

• In Uttar Pradesh a ritual bath in the river is important on this

day. 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. 
• 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. Apart from Triveni, ritual bathing also
takes place at many places like Haridvar and Garh
Mukteshwar in Uttar Pradesh, and Patna in Bihar. Since it is
also the season to fly kites, the evening sky is awash with
colorful kites of all shapes and sizes. Several kite competitions
are held in various localities.
 Karnataka

• In Karnataka, the festival is marked by visiting

one's friends and relatives to exchange
greetings, and by the preparation of a dish
called Ellu (made with sesame seeds,
coconuts, sugar blocks, etc). A common
custom found across Karnataka is the
exchange of sugarcane pieces and Ellu with
one's neighbors, friends and relatives. 
 Summary

• Every Hindu festival has social, medicinal/ health, spiritual

significance tied with it.
• Although people in different parts of India celebrate this
differently, there are  commonalities which make us one- use
of rice and moong dal (for making pongal in the South/
khichadi elsewhere in india). Foods made with this
combination are nourishing for the body this time of the year.
Also symbolism of using til and Jaggary- to maintain
energy/heat in the body through the cold winter months.
• Flying kites, taking bath in the river, doing Suryranamaskaaras,
boiling milk/ pongal outside in the open all give exposure to
the gentle warm rays of Sun, enriching  health.
• Getting together with friends and family and distributing til-gul
even to strangers promotes social harmony.
 Summary
• On the social plane - Sankraanti signifies the warmth of love
and fellow-feeling among the people of a country that
ultimately makes them stand up together in adversity or in
prosperity.
• Sankraanti, signifying light, also gives the message of
intellectual illumination. It is the capacity to discriminate
between the right and the wrong, the just and the unjust,
truth and falsehood, virtue and vice.
• Mahabhaarata defines pursuit of truth and real knowledge as
that which leads to the welfare of all living beings
• The Gods will help those who display the six attributes of
endeavour, daring, fortitude, wisdom, strength and valour.