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Hello All,

I wish you and your family, friends, near and dear........

A very happy, colourful and joyful bhogi, sankranti/pongal/lohri, kanuma wishes (14/01/09).

Sankranthi, or Makara Sankranti is a festival that signifies the beginning of the harvest season for the farmers of Indian Sub-Continent. This is a harvest festival celebrated not only all over India but other South East Asian Countries as well. Makara Sankranti has special geo-agri-economical significance to people of Indian Sub-Continent. Makara Sankranti is about transition of Sun into Capricorn on its celestial path (Sankranti in Sanskrit means transition). This is significant considering Winter Solstice (either of the two times of the year when the sun is at its greatest distance from the celestial equator) marking gradual increase of duration of day.

The day on which the sun begins its journey northwards is referred to as Makara Sankranti. Sankramana means "to commence movement" and hence the name Makara Sankranti given to one of the largest, most auspicious, but varied festivals in the Indian subcontinent. It usually falls in the middle of January (Jan 14th). Because of the geography and size of India, this festival is celebrated for innumerable reasons depending on the climate, agricultural environment, cultural background and position in the context of north or south of India. Makara Sankranti is also to honour, worship and to pay respect to the word mother, Saraswati Maata (Goddess of Knowledge). At the start of this significant event, there is also worship for the departed ancestors. The period is also considered an ideal time for aspirants to satisfy "the goals of life".

Sankranthi is a three day festival in general. The first day of festival is Bhogi. At dawn people light up a bonfire with several old articles in their house. The second day is Sankranti, the big festival, when everyone wears new clothes and pray to their favourite God by offering them sweets. The third day is Kanuma, which is also considered a major part of sankranti lacking the pompousness associated with makara, is celebrated by cleaning and praying the equipment used by the household ranging from weapons to utensils. Very significant however, the day preceding Makara Sankranti, called Bhogi is when people discard old and derelict things and concentrate on new things causing change or transformation. Sweets in generous quantities are prepared and distributed. Very important though, cooking is done by women on this occasion. Families are joined together for this occasion without fail. Brothers pay special tribute to their married sisters by giving gifts as affirmation of their filial love. The landlord gives gifts of food, clothes and money to their workforce. On the day after Makara Sankranti, known as Kanuma, the animal kingdom is remembered and in particular, the cows. Young girls feed the animals, birds and fishes as a symbol of sharing.

Makara Sankranthi also happens to be the day on which Bhishma, the grand sire of Pandavas and Kauravas from the epic Mahabharata voluntarily left his mortal coil. Sankranti is celebrated all over Southeast Asia with some regional variations and different names but with same significance and great devotion. In North India it is called Lohri/Maghi (Punjab & HP), in Eastern India it is called Bihu/Bhogali Bihu (Assam & Bihar), in Western India it is called Uttarayan (Gujarat & Rajasthan) and in South India it is called Makara Sankranti (AP)/Sankranthi (Karnataka)/Pongal (Tamilnadu)/Makara Vilakku (Kerala).

It is celebrated in almost every village with adventurous games in South India. Whether it is the cock fights in Andhra Pradesh, Bull fighting in Tamil Nadu or Elephant Mela in Kerala, there is huge amount of betting done however, the so called tradition continues to play a major role in the festival. Another notable feature of the festival in South India is the Haridas who moves around asking for rice and wishing luck to the household. Rangoli competitions too are a common sight. The entire month from mid-December to Sankranthi is celebrated with giant rangolis in front of the house which are drawn only at late night for the entire month. For all other days of the year, rangoli is typically drawn in mornings only. Every village and town in the province is decorated with drawings. The colorful drawings or Rangoli (also known as Muggu), are usually found in front of the houses. Woman enjoy making these drawings and every day/year they try to outdo themselves. Flying kites is another important part of the festival. There is even a competition of kite flying. In the rural and coastal areas, cock fights are held and is a prominent event of the festival.

Many Melas or fairs are held on Makara Sankranti the most famous being the Kumbh Mela, held once in every 12 years at one of four holy locations, namely Haridwar, Prayag/Allahabad, Ujjain and Nashik and the Magh Mela (or mini-Kumbh Mela held annually at Prayag) and the Gangasagar Mela (held at the head of the Ganges River, where it flows into the Bay of Bengal). Makara Sankranti is celebrated in Kerala at Sabarimala where the Makara Jyothi is visible followed by the Makara Vilakku celebrations. Makara Sankranti is the day when the Sun God begins his ascendancy and entry into the Northern Hemisphere. Sun for Hindus stands for Pratyaksha Brahman - the manifest God, who symbolizes, the one, non-dual, self-effulgent, glorious divinity blessing one and all tirelessly. Sun is the one who transcends time and also the one who rotates the proverbial wheel of time. The famous Gayatri Mantra, which is chanted everyday by every faithful Hindu, is directed to Sun God to bless them with intelligence and wisdom. Sun not only represents God but also stands for an embodiment of knowledge and wisdom. Thus, this event becomes an important spiritual, religious and cultural event in India.

Many many happy returns of the days.

All the best and take care….

With thanks, regards and best wishes,
G.Srikanth.

# posted by Srikanth @ 1:49 PM