Khichdi, Pongal and Uttarayani… Makar Sankranti festival is one, traditions are many – makar sankranti kchidi dahi chura pongal magh bihu ntcpvp

After two months of severe cold, 13, 14 and 15 January are the days when the weather starts changing, the days gradually start getting longer and with this the heat of the sun starts increasing little by little. There is an old saying that from this day onwards things start increasing day by day. The traditions and systems that have been going on since ancient times must have been the first condition for survival, which started taking the form of festivals in the primitive society and then it became a custom and became like a heritage for us.

Sankranti is a sharing of traditions
When winter is at its peak, festivals are celebrated from the northern part of the country to the southern tip and fire plays a prominent role at its centre. Apart from this, only food and drink of hot nature are included in these. The way in which the primitive society was living centuries ago, there would have been a need to live in groups. It would be possible for them to live in a herd only if they also form partnerships. This partnership may have been of food and drink, of clothing and may have been of traditions. This is the reason why as part of the tradition that has been going on for ages and centuries, we follow the same traditions and festivals together, although their names are different depending on the locality, and their identities are different.

Sankranti is in every culture
Makar Sankranti is one such festival, which is present in every culture and is celebrated in the country from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Bengal to Gujarat. It is Lohri in Punjab, Khichdi in Uttar Pradesh, Sankrant in Bihar. It is Magh Bihu in Assam and Pongal in Tamil Nadu.

Lohri is celebrated in Punjab
Lohri is celebrated every year on 13 January, a day before Sankranti. Connected with this is the story of that Ranbankure who not only made a page of history in his name with his exploits 500 years ago, but also became immortal with the fire of Lohri. This handsome young man named Dulla Bhati opposed the government and raised his voice against its wrong forces. At that time, Emperor Akbar was ruling a large part of the country from Agra and girls were being sold miles away in Punjab.

Dulla saved them and got them married on the day of Lohri. Dulla created such a place in the social fabric that he became a part of the tradition of Lohri every time. If there is no talk of Dulla today, Lohri cannot take place.

story of lohri
Another folk tale of Lohri is famous. In this story, a demon named Lodi used to capture children and take them away. One day he caught a small child named Dhulo. Dhulo’s sister formed a group of her friends to save her brother and went to fight Lodi. He tricked Lodi and imprisoned him inside the same circle of fire which he had set to burn Dhulo. Lodi got burnt in that fire and Dhulo was saved. People happily threw sesame seeds, jaggery, rewari and peanuts into the fire. Since then it became a tradition.

Sankranti in Central India including Haryana, Uttar Pradesh
Astrology says that when the Sun moves from Dakshinayan to Uttarayan and changes its zodiac sign and reaches Capricorn, then this Sun is called Makar Sankranti. Makar Sankranti symbolizes the Earth’s approaching the Sun while moving on its oval orbital path. Central India celebrates Makar Sankranti based on the movement of planets. The change of Sun’s zodiac sign, moving from one zodiac sign to another as well as the change of direction of the Earth are such astronomical events which directly impact the lifestyle of Indians.

This is the time when seasonal changes are taking place. The hot and cold environment gets worse and this change in zodiac signs also affects life. Based on the solar cycle and calendar, this date falls on 14 January every year, hence Makar Sankranti is celebrated on this day. This day is not just a revolution of coincidence between the zodiac signs, but it is also a day of revolution of thoughts in our minds. The winter season is a symbol of becoming frozen, but from this day you also feel an excitement and a change inside you.

The tradition of bathing in Ganga and then donating etc. on Makar Sankranti is a means of removing that inertia. When a person who has returned to consciousness returns to the society, the sesame and jaggery laddus teach him to integrate into the society again. The basic principle of festivals is to preserve sociality.

importance of khichdi
This occasion of Makar Sankranti is also called Khichdi, because in Uttar Pradesh, offering, donating, making and sharing Khichdi has great importance on this day. Khichdi is an important dish and symbolic food in Indian culture, which has significance from religious, cultural and nutritional perspectives. Khichdi is prepared from various ingredients, which include rice, pulses, vegetables and spices. It is considered a symbol of simplicity and balanced diet. In Sanatan it has been called Sadhu Bhoj, Dev Anna and Rishibhuktam (offering to sages).

Pongal in South India
The crops have been harvested and people have come home and there is an atmosphere of excitement. Then when the Sun God appears in the sky, the Tamil society takes it as a new year and celebrates Pongal. The courtyard is decorated with beautiful Pookkalam (Rangoli) painted on the doors. The cows and bulls have been bathed and decorated. Meanwhile, the elders of the house are soaking different pots of paddy in milk and boiling it with sugar.

She will boil it till it bubbles over the edges. Along with this, a song in their local language will also keep people moving. This means that just as the water of the ocean has come to the shore, just as my pot has overflowed, so that the happiness of the children of my house also overflows. This festival of prosperity and laughing and singing together is Pongal.

Pongal is usually celebrated for four days during Makar Sankranti in the month of January. Various traditions and activities take place during this period.
1. Day 1: Bhogi Pongal
Bhogi Pongal is a day of cleaning and discarding old stuff. People clean their houses and burn old items to symbolize the beginning of a new life.
Indra Dev (God of rain) is worshiped on this day so that there is a good harvest.

2. Day 2: Thai Pongal
This is the main day of Pongal. People worship and thank the Sun God. On this day, a special sweet called Pongal is cooked, which is made from rice, milk and jaggery. It is cooked in an earthen pot and offered to the Sun God. Beautiful rangoli (kolam) is made in the courtyard of the houses.

3. Day 3: Mattu Pongal
This day is dedicated to cattle (cows and bulls). Cattle are decorated, their horns are painted and they are garlanded with flowers.
Cattle are worshiped because they help in agricultural work.

4. Fourth day: Kanya Pongal (Kaanum Pongal)
Girls are given gifts in this Pongal. This day is to be spent with family and society. People go to meet relatives and friends.
Prayers are offered to strengthen the relationship between brother and sister.

Uttarayani in Uttarakhand
Uttarayani is celebrated on the day of Makar Sankranti in Uttarakhand. This festival is especially celebrated in both Garhwali and Kumaon regions. Here also sesame and jaggery are important and people distribute it among each other, but an even more important dish is Ghughutiya. This dish is linked to a folk tale of Makar Sankranti.

story of ghughutiya
This incident happened when Chand dynasty ruled Kumaon. King Kalyan Chand was blessed with a son on the day of Makar Sankranti by the grace of Lord Bagnath. Rani Maa Maa used to call her lovingly as Ghughuti. Ghughuti had a pearl necklace around her neck. Ghughuti used to be happy after seeing the garland, when he cried, his mother used to calm him down and say ‘Black crow, eat Ghughuti’s garland’. Hearing the voice of Ghughuti’s mother, the crows would go here and there and his mother would give them the dish. . Gradually the crow and the ghughuti became friends. A minister in the king’s court wanted to kill Ghughuti, because the king had no other children.

One day the king’s minister picked up Ghughuti and took him far away into the forest. Then crows started hovering around him. The crows snatched the garland from Ghughuti’s neck and brought it to the palace. The king understood that Ghughuti’s life was in danger. In this way Ghughuti’s life was saved. The crows saved Ghughuti’s life. Since then, on Makar Sankranti, people make garlands of flour and jaggery and feed them to the crows.

Magh Bihu in Assam
In Assam, Magh Bihu is also known as Bhogali Bihu and Maghar Domahi. The day before Magh Bihu is Uruka, which is considered dedicated to Agni Dev. On this occasion, folk dishes like Aloo Pitika, Jaak and Masor Tenga are prepared and everyone dines together. With this, the first crop is offered to our beloved deity and it is wished that good crops are produced in the future also.

The traditions of festivals are similar
These traditions of festivals are similar. This proves that we, living in different grooves of civilizations, are not separate, but are the colors of rangoli. Rangoli is beautiful which is in its own groove. Those colors have no value individually. Our festivals are a display of our human desires and the desire of humanity is to be united like Tilgud. May there be warmth like the rays of the sun and may we remain united.