"HAPPY MAKAR SANKRANTI"

Hi readers,

Today we would like to discuss about festival "MAKAR SANKRANTI". Makar sankranti marks the transition of the sun into the zodiacal sign of Makara(capricon) on its celestial path which is the first change in zodiac after the winter solstice. The festival is celebrated in various parts of Indian subcontinent to observe the day which marks the shift of the sun into ever-lightening days. The festival is seasonal observance as well as a religious celebration. Makar sankranti is a solar event making it one of the few Hindu festival which falls on the same date in local calendar every year. Makar sankranti is believed to be a time for peace and prosperity. The day is regarded as important for spiritual practices and accordingly people take a holy dip in rivers, especially Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery. The bathing is believed to wash away sins. Some people wear new clothes, pray to God, and make offerings of traditional food to ancestors who have died. They also make beautiful and ornate drawings and patterns on the ground with chalk or flour, called "Rangoli" in front of their homes. These drawings are decorated with flowers, colours and small, hand-pressed piles of cow dung. People in Delhi and Haryana and many neighbouring states consider Sakraat or Sankranti to be a main festival of the year. Churma of ghee, halwa and kheer are cooked specially in Jats and Yadavs homes on this day. These are the several things people used to do on Makar sankranti.