Today is Sankranti festival. On this happy occasion wish you and
your family happiness, prosperity, good health, success and peace. Sankranti is
celebrated all over India and even in other South Asian countries, with some
regional variations. It is celebrated as Sankranti, Makara Sankranti or Makar
Sankranti in Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, West Bengal, Bihar,
Jharkhand, Orissa, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and
Maharashtra. The festival is celebrated as Lohri in Himachal Pradesh and
Punjab, as Pongal in Tamil Nadu and as Uttarayan in Gujarat and Rajasthan. In
Nepal it is celebrated as Maghi or Maghe Sankranti or Maghe Sakrati. And in
Myanmar it is Thingyan, in Laos it is Pi Ma Lao and in Thailand it is Songkran.
Sankranti festival falls on the day when the Sun begins its
northward journey and enters the sign of Makara (Capricorn) from the Tropic of
Cancer. In local interpretation it means the Sun has commenced to move from
Dakshinayana (South) to Uttarayana (North). Every year this event falls on the
14th of January, according to the Solar Calendar, but every fourth year it
falls on 15th January. Today onwards the harshness of winter would reduce and
the days would get longer. Symbolically, the Sun gradually removes darkness and
ushers in the light of knowledge and wisdom.
Though the reasons for the celebration of this festival are plenty,
the most important is - it is celebrated as a harvest festival. It is
celebrated with a lot of pomp and show with colorful dresses, colorful Muggulu
(Rangoli), colorful Kites, Bhogi Pandlu, well decorated houses, lots of
entertainment and a variety of food over the three day festival. It is a
festival to express gratitude to God for a good harvest and all the material
possessions and it is also time for communal camaraderie, thanksgiving and
exchange of greetings. So once again wish you all a very Happy Sankranti /
Pongal / Makar Sankranti / Uttarayan / Lohri!!!
Here are some pictures of this year’s Sankranti festival, which I am
happy to share:
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