Makar Sankranti is the Hindu festival celebrated all across the country to mark the first day of sun’s transition to Capricorn (astrological sign in Zodiac) which means midwinter will end and duration of day time will increase afterwards. Makar Sankranti is celebrated with different names like Pongal in Tamilnadu, Sukarat in Bihar and Jharkhand, Poush Parbon in Bengal and Uttarayan in Gujarat. It is the only festival which has been observed as per the Solar Cycles while rest of the Indian festivals are set according to lunar cycle of Hindu calendar.
Ten Lines on Makar Sankranti 2022 Festival
For Class 1
1) Makar Sankranti the pan India festival, known by various names is celebrated on 14th of January.
2) Makar Sankranti comes under solar month of Makara and lunar month of Magha as per the Hindu calendar.
3) People fly kites under the sun to celebrate the festival in many parts of India.
4) As a part of important spiritual practice, on the day of festival people take holy bath in rivers for absolution of sins.
5) Every 12 years, Kumbh Mela (a mass pilgrimage of belief) is organized and on the day of Makar Sankranti millions of people go to Prayag for the bath and offering of prayers to Lord Sun.
6) Many people on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti exchange sweets made up of jaggery and til to express love and joy.
7) Makar Sankranti is somewhat similar to the thanks giving festival celebrated in western part of the world.
8) The day marks the end of the winter season which is known for infections and sickness, early morning sun on the day of festival help people in getting rid of the harmful bacteria.
9) Makar Sankranti has the regional variations and is celebrated with different customs and traditions across India.
10) Apart from India, Makar Sankranti is very famous in Nepal and is celebrated with the name Maghe Sankranti. It marks the end of Poush-unlucky and inauspicious period.
For Class 2
1) In Andhra and Telangana, people celebrate Makar Sankranti festival for four days by lighting bonfire, singing, dancing, wearing new clothes and offering traditional foods to ancestors.
2) In Assam, people construct temporary huts from bamboos and leaves prepare the food under the hut and after enjoying the feast they destroy huts the very next morning.
3) Magh Bihu celebration of Assam also includes traditional games like buffalo fighting and pot breaking competition.
4) In Bihar and Jharkhand it is celebrated as Khichdi, people after taking holy bath people eat seasonal delicacies like chura, tilgul, sweets. In night they prepare special dish called Khichdi.
5) In Karnataka, cows and bulls are decorated and are left for grazing in the open field. They are shown as a symbol of harvest festival for the farmers.
6) Girls in southern India wear new clothes and visit to other home of other members of family with offering in a plate having ground nuts, coconut and jaggery.
7) The ritual of exchanging sweets on Makar Sankranti in south India is called “Ellu Birodhu”.
8) In Orissa, on auspicious occasion of Sankranti festival lot of people visit temples and perform ritual practices while fasting.
9) Some people in Orissa prepare makar chula (mixture of rice, banana, coconut, jaggery, rasagola) as an offering to gods and goddesses.
10) People of western Orissa have usual rituals of friendship on the day of Makar Sankranti where the individual tie the friendship band on each other wrists and addresses the other as “Marsad” for a year.
For Class 3
1) Makar Sankranti is a popular Hindu festival celebrated on 14th January every year.
2) The festival marks the transition of sun in to Capricorn or ‘makar rashi’ of zodiac.
3) It is considered as the most auspicious occasion of the season and observed with holy baths in rivers and offering thanksgiving prayers to Sun God.
4) Taking a holy dip in sacred River Ganga at Varanasi or Prayagraj on Makar Sankranti is believed to wash all our sins.
5) People, especially children enjoy the occasion by flying kites and having delicacies made up of til and jaggery.
6) In Maharashtra, people wish ‘til gul ghya, god god bola’ on ‘Makar Sankranti’ which means have sweets and talk sweet.
7) It is celebrated across the country in different states with different names and customs like Pongal, Maghi, Bhogi, Uttrayan, Khichdi etc.
8) People also decorate their homes with ‘rangoli’ and flowers especially in Maharashtra and southern India.
9) On Makar Sankranti, Magha Mela (fair) is organised at various pilgrimage sites across India which witnesses a huge participation from people.
10) Makar Sankranti is the festival dedicated to Sun God which purifies the nature and helps to abolish our sins and bad deeds.
For Class 4
1) Makar Sankranti is one of the Hindu festivals which is considered as most auspicious according to Hindu mythology.
2) It is believed that on Makar Sankranti ‘Surya’ (Sun God) visits his son ‘Shani’ (saturn).
3) According to Hindu mythology, it is believed that gods come to earth on Makar Sankranti to take bath in River Ganga.
4) Makar Sankranti is also considered as the day when people start doing new things and welcome the new season.
5) Every state has its special delicacies prepared for the occasion like Dahi Chura in Bihar,Chikkis in Gujarat, Ghevar in Rajasthan, Pooran Poli in Maharashtra etc.
6) Til and jaggery are the integral part of the festival and various delicacies are prepared based on it across the country.
7) Kite flying tradition is also observed in various parts of the country and many Kite-Flying competitions are also organised on the occasion.
8) During ‘Kumbh Mela’, the first ‘Shahi Snan’ or Royal Holy Bath of saints starts from Makar Sankranti; after this only, common people are allowed to take the holy bath.
9) Apart from Varanasi and Prayagraj, taking holy bath at Ganga Sagar is also considered very auspicious on Makar Sankranti.
10) The delicacies of Makar Sankrati symbolize Unity, and colourful kites flying in sky shows the unity and diversity culture of India.
In most parts of India, the day of Makar Sankranti signifies a new beginning for the farmers as many of them have finished doing the hard work in the agricultural field by sowing the seeds of the crops. The time period afterwards is period of celebration around bonfires, flying kites, sharing sweets and enjoying melas (fairs) with family.
The distribution of sweet is the common ritual being followed by people across the India in different cultures as sweet signifies symbol of peace and joyfulness. The most popular festival in India, Makar Sankranti is celebrated among people with same jest and enthusiasm from north to south and east to west.
FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions on Makar Sankranti 2022
Ans. In Thailand, Makar Sankranti is known as Songkran.
Ans. Uttarayani Mela is a fair organized in the district of Uttarakhand during the festival of Makar Sankranti.
Ans. Hindus do not eat anything before bathing, they take bath in holy river and then start the day by donating grains and foods to the poor.