Makar Sankranti is celebrated all across India on January 14th and 15th every year. It is the time when the Sun transitions into the zodiac of Capricorn. Some people say that it signals the end of winter. Growing up, I don’t remember Sankranti being celebrated in any special manner in my own home. But then my stay in various parts of India have changed what the festival symbolizes to me:
Kites
I noticed the huge buzz around this festival when I first went to live in Ahmedabad. You have to see the energy and joy that is in the air around the time of Uttarayan as it is called in Gujarat. The most significant feature of celebration being kites. The sky is filled with kites of myriad hues on Sankranti day with entire families crowding on roof tops. The women armed with manjha rolls (sharp thread that propels the kite) and the men lustily cheering and competing in kite competitions. It is a joy to behold.
Food
No Indian festival is complete without celebratory feast. We just love our food. In Gujarat, during Uttarayan, undhiyo is a specialty dish prepared. It is an elaborate dish cooked with a lot of winter produce. It is rustic and delicious and very time consuming to cook. Of course, the omnipresent jalebis and gathia are not far behind. If you are lucky, you can wring an invite from a Gujarati family and enjoy the goodies without slogging over the stove.
Pongal – sweet and spicy
When I came to live in Bangalore, I got exposed to another way of celebrating Sankranti or Pongal as it is called here. Here, Pongal is a harvest festival. It marks the end of winter and the advent of spring. The fields are in full bloom and essentially Pongal celebrates good harvest. Here in Karnataka, people celebrate the festival with fanfare. The houses are cleaned well to get rid of annoying bugs. Cattle are given a bath and decorated especially in farming communities. New clothes are worn. And yummy delicacies like coconut laddoos, sweet and spicy Pongal are prepared. Pongal is very similar to the khichdi I make at home only it has a generous dose of black pepper, ginger and ghee. It is so yummy that I have adopted it wholeheartedly for breakfast.
Yellu bella
It is also the time when people exchange yellu bella or a mixture of sesame seeds and jaggery signifying sweet beginnings. The same tradition is followed in Maharashtra where it is called til gul. A visit to the temple is also on the cards on this day. The markets are flooded with sugarcane both for decoration and consumption. And the rangolis done outside homes are so beautiful. We have rangoli competitions in our gated community.
Peanuts, gajak, rewri
The festival is celebrated as Lohri in Punjab with a bonfire, dancing and offering of sweet, sugar, popcorn and rice to the fire as well as to friends and relatives. And hogging on roasted peanuts, gajak and rewri.
The festival is celebrated with gusto in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Assam and Andhra Pradesh as well.
No matter how you celebrate, remember to spend the day with friends, family and good food. This morning I made some avarekai dosa for breakfast.
Do share how you celebrate Sankranti at home?
Pinnable pic courtesy Shutterstock
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