India celebrates Makar Sankranti as the sunrise of Capricorn, signaling the end of winter and the beginning of longer, sunnier days. While well-known festivals like Pongal, Bihu, and Khichdi illustrate the depth of Indian culture, lesser-known regional celebrations don't receive as much attention. This blog discusses 5 such regional festivals of Makar Sankranti- Sakaraat of Haryana, Attarani of Jammu, Suggi of Karnataka, Hangarai of Tripura, and Tirmoori of Pakistan to immerse you in the cultural richness of India's ancient traditions.
The time of change- Sankranti is just around the corner and India is ready to say goodbye to the chilling winters and welcome the warmth of the Sun, revered as Surya Deva. The tradition of Sun worship on Makar Sankranti is popular all over the country, with festivals like Bihu, Pongal, and Khichdi in different regions known for their shared rituals of Surya-Puja, eating home-cooked food, family gatherings, bathing in sacred rivers and performing Daana and other virtuous deeds. But the richness of Indian culture is such that even after being aware of the many variations of Makar Sankranti, there remain a few lesser-known traditions that not many of us are aware of.
From the rural lanes of Haryana to the snow-capped ranges of Jammu and from the heartland of Karnataka to the small Sindhi community in Pakistan, there are several festivals of Makar Sankranti that locals celebrate in unique ways. In this blog, we will look at 5 unique variations of the festival to see what makes Makar Sankranti one of the most popular and diversified Hindu festivals.
Villages in Haryana, parts of Delhi, and Western Uttar Pradesh come alive in the dead of winter for the celebration of Sakaraat (a local variation of Sankranti). The festival begins with kids going to houses in the village to collect cow dung and wood, which is burnt later. People gather around nearby ponds or rivers, and some also visit the sacred Brahmasarovara in Kurukshetra to take a dip.
The local village deity also known as Jathera or Dhok is worshipped by people who pray to him to clean them of all sins. Sidha- a plate containing food grains, jaggery, Til (sesame seed), and money is offered to Brahmans. Brothers visit their sisters with Sidha or Sindhara and bring gifts for the in-laws. An interesting part of Sakaraat celebrations is the tradition of Manana or Jagana (cajoling or pleasing).
Married women form groups and go around the village, visiting their elders and members of their husband’s kin with gifts, quilts, clothes, and food. They pay respects to them by touching their feet and taking their blessings. Locals believe that the tradition was started by Draupadi during the Mahabharata period when she visited Bhishma with gifts and prayed for a long life for her husbands.
Elderly women gather around in the courtyard of the traditional homes and sing “Harjas”, folk songs praising Vishnu and Radha-Krishna. The fire from the wood collected from every house is enjoyed by people who gather in the village square or in Havelis. Sakraat celebrations are all about family and community coming together. The traditional rituals which seem to be fading away with time, focus on keeping the kin together and warming up the hearts of the members, especially after having survived months of cold.
Attarani or Attarain is a local term for Uttarayana, the Sun’s movement to the northern hemisphere. The festival of Makar Sankranti in Jammu is celebrated by the Dogras, along with Lohri, a day before Attarani. The festival marks the end of Poh or Pausha and the beginning of Magha month and is thus known as “Maaghi Sangrand”.
Special attention is given to Mansana or charity, done with a Khichdi of Maah Daal (a staple of the state) and the festival is locally called Khichdi wala parva. Khichdi, food items, and gifts are sent on this day to the home of married daughters and their in-laws. People take baths in the ancient Devika river and special fairs and pilgrimages are held in the Purmandal temple complex.
In the Vasuki temple of Bhaderwah, the idol of Vasuki naaga is covered on the occasion of Maghi Sankranti only to be unveiled three months later, on Vaisakha Sankranti. The Purnmandal temple complex is a sacred spot in Jammu, traditionally known as “Chota Kashi” or little Kashi. The temples and river Devika are worshipped as bestowers of Moksha and many perform special Puja and snan (bathing) to cleanse their souls and pray for the benefit of the ancestors on Makar Sankranti.
Suggi is a local harvest festival celebrated in rural Karnataka where families and villages come together to rejoice in the change of seasons. Ellu Birodhu- a tradition where plates of food items such as ellu (white sesame seed), fried groundnut, dry coconut, and bella (jaggery) along with new clothes are gifted to relatives. A folk saying goes- “ellu bell thindu olle maathadi” (eat jaggery and sesame and speak only good), summarising the essence of Suggi.
A distinct ritual of Sankranti in Karnataka is the “Kichuchu Haisodu”, in which decked-up bulls are jumped over fire. People believe that the logic behind this was to cleanse the animals of insects that hid under their hair during winter. Others say that the ritual made animals familiar with fire and made them fearless in the event of a fire in the cowpen. Some also trace a connection between fire and the sun, suggesting that the ritual was to pay obeisance to the Sun as well as the animals who are the key to a good harvest.
The festival of Hangarai is rooted in a local lore, surrounding Shiva or Sibrai and his two creations. According to the legend, Sibrai created the world as a vast grassland and then created a large egg. When the egg broke, a human being came out but when he could not find anyone else like himself, he went back to the egg and hid under the shells. Disappointed, Sibrai created a second egg and the man that came out was glorious. The second one proudly crowned himself the king of all beings and declared himself to be the eldest son, and took the name “Sibrai”.
Meanwhile, the original firstborn named Hangarai also came to live with him and was treated all through his life as the younger one. On his deathbed, Hangarai was visited by Sibrai who came to realize the truth and was saddened by the way he treated his elder brother. Upon Hangarai’s death, Sibrai cremated him and immersed his remains in the river, on the last day of Pousha. Since then, the people of Tripura have been performing this ritual as a sign of respect for their elders and ancestors.
The festival of Hangarai is celebrated every year on the day of Makar Sankranti with people visiting the confluence of Raima and Saima rivers known as Gomati or Twima Kormoti to immerse the remains of their deceased family members, take a dip in the sacred river and pray for the soul of the ancestors and cleanse themselves of their sins. Homes are cleaned, young boys prepare a Hangari nok (hut) with bamboo for worship, and community feasts are prepared. Much like the celebrations in Harayana, the festival of Hangarai is all about connecting to your roots and remembering your ancestors.
Celebrated by the Sindhi community in Pakistan, the festival of Tirmoori is an example of how ancient Indian traditions go beyond any single religion or region. The day of 14 January is marked as an annual celebration of Tirmoori (tir- til or sesame seeds and moori- mooli or radish). Gur Chikki, laddoo and other food and gift items are sent by the parents to the home of their married daughters.
People come together to fly kites and eat sumptuous traditional meals. Though quite similar to the Makar Sankranti in northern India, Tirmoori is distinguishable by the uniquely Sindhi dishes and folk songs that underline the historical exchange of rituals and beliefs between Hindu and Sindhi cultures.
Hindus celebrate Makara Sankranti when the Sun transitions into Capricorn (Makara), a zodiac sign. The festival, which takes place on January 14th every year, marks the end of the winter solstice, heralding the arrival of longer days and harvest time.
This festival is centered on the Sun, as it is believed to provide warmth, sunlight, and energy that is essential for the growth of new crops. Devotees pray to the Sun God (Surya) for health, prosperity, and happiness. The festival is also a symbol of light triumphing over darkness.
"Makara" refers to Capricorn, the constellation that the Sun enters on Makar Sankranti. Another meaning of "Makara" is associated with a mythical creature in Hindu mythology, often depicted as a half-land, half-sea animal, believed to be the vehicle of Varuna, the water god.
There is a belief that taking a dip in holy rivers, particularly the Ganges, can cleanse the soul, cleanse sins, and bring blessings. In states like Uttar Pradesh, where large-scale Makar Sankranti fairs are held along riverbanks, it is a common practice.
No. Though Makar Sankranti is popularly associated with Hindu culture, it is also celebrated by other communities such as Sindhis who celebrate its variant known as “Tirmoori” on the day of Sankranti.
The astronomical event of the Sun moving towards the northern hemisphere is an occasion of festivities and joy for nature and humans alike. It is a time when the winter tedium gives way to a hopeful, sunlit environment. Though the traditions of Makar Sankranti such as bathing in sacred rivers, eating grains such as Khichdi and other food items, and worshipping deities and elders of the family are popular all over India, there are several unique practices of this festival that need to be remembered, for they remind us of the unifying elements of Indian culture- its rituals, that are ancient and relevant simultaneously.
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