Makar Sankranti!

The Marathi loosely Translated: Let us celebrate Makar Sankranti/ having overcome our obstacles/by laughing and enjoying ourselves, let us grind the jaggery and sesame seeds (those balls you see in the picture). Countless wishes on Sankranti!

Happy Makar Sankranti! Til-gud ghya, god-god bola (eat sesame and jaggery and say sweet things) !!!! Happy Pongal!!! Happy Lohri, to the Punjabis!!!

I've always wondered why today is also called Kite-flying day. That's because the winds change and it's also symbolically considered a way to try to get closer to God. The MOVEMENT of the sun from one zodiac sign to the other is called Sankranti (to move from one place to another - in this case from Saggitarius to Capricorn). There is also a Mesha (aries) sankranti at some point. Oooh this is all quite scientific!!! Apparently the solar year begins when the Sun is in Aries (Spring Equinox, March 22nd). How come we never think about these things???? More random gyan about Hinduism here.

Sankranti is big for Maharashtrians and Gujaratis, and Punjabis in Lohri. Harvest festival/seasonal change for everyone. The punjabis also make a bonfire and distribute sweets made of jaggery, sesame seeds and peanuts, and exchange coins and sweets. Like a mini Diwali. In Assam it's celebrated as Magha, to give thanks for the paddy harvest.

Maharashtra has about the same traditions. New brides are welcomed with sugar ornaments and a turmeric and vermilion ceremony. Hostilities are forgotten. Because of the food cooked, the festival here is also called til or Khichri (rice and lentil dish) Sankranti. Like Pongal being named after a dish.

In Orissa the new year begins at this time for the tribals. Gujarat has the Internation Kite Festival in Surat. Surat is well-known for the enthusiasm of its residents, their kite-flying and cutting, and is renowned for having the sharpest cutting strings (because they're polished with glass) .

Oooh, there's a lot of religious significance for this festival as well, besides the astrological change. Vishnu killed and buried some asuras on this day, Sun visits the home of his son Shani, Bhagirath managed to get the Ganga on earth to wash away the sins of his father and uncles, Bhishma waited for this day before he decided to die. It represents the end of darkness and negativity and the beginning of righteous living. A huge Ganga Festival is also hence held at this time at Ganga Sagar, Prayag, Hardwar, Patna and Garh Mukteshwar.

More detailed gyaan here.

My driver sent us some til-gud laddoos today!!! I've never eaten them before! They're super hard and I thought it would be stuck in my mouth forever till it melted slowly. Today was a super morning of prasad - coconut pieces and bananas from yesterday, the laddoos and sugar balls from a Hanuman temple!

Here are a few pictures of festivities:
A kite shop somewhere:

Devotees bathing at Gangasagar:


Here is a history of Kite-flying.