~ 🄹🄰🄽🅄🄰🅁🅈 14, 2021 ~

Namaste, Vanakam, Sat sri akal, Assalam Alaykum.

Wishing that the rising sun and harvesting crops of Makar Sankranti, Lohri, Pongal and what not, fills your life with bright and happy moments.

Makar Sankranti or Maghi or simply Sankranthi, is a festival day in the Hindu calendar, dedicated to the deity Surya (sun). It is observed each year in the lunar month of Magha which corresponds with the month of January as per the Gregorian calendar and is a day the people of India and Nepal celebrate their harvest. It marks the first day of the sun's transit into Makara rashi (Capricorn), marking the end of the month with the winter solstice and the start of longer days.

A shared cultural practice found amongst various parts of India is making sticky, bound sweets particularly from sesame (til) and a sugar base such as jaggery (gur). This type of sweet is a symbolism for being together in peace and joyfulness, despite the uniqueness and differences between individuals.

For most parts of India, this period is a part of early stages of the Rabi crop and agricultural cycle, where crops have been sown and the hard work in the fields is mostly over. The time thus signifies a period of socializing and families enjoying each other's company, taking care of the cattle, and celebrating around bonfires, and by flying kites.

"Unity in Diversity"
This is what we all have always been taught since our childhood, and this very slogan forms the basis of India.

To celebrate this festival, which has numerous names all around the country, we bring before you the way it is celebrated in different ways in different parts of our India.

|SOUTH INDIA|

∆ THAI PONGAL: "Tamil Nadu"

It is a four-day festival in Tamil Nadu:
~Day 1: Bhogi Pandigai : The first day of festival is Bhogi. It is celebrated on the last day of Margazhi by throwing away and destroying old clothes and materials, by setting them on fire, marking the end of the old and the emergence of the new. The 'neem' leaves are kept along the walls and roof of the houses. This is to eliminate evil forces.

~Day 2: Thai Pongal : The second day of festival is Thai Pongal or simply Pongal, celebrating the first day of the Tamil month Thai which starts with the solar cycle when sun starts moving towards the summer solstice (uttarayana). It is celebrated by boiling rice with fresh milk and jaggery in new pots, which are later topped with brown sugar, cashew nuts and raisins early in the morning and allowing it to boil over the vessel. This tradition gives Pongal its name. The moment the rice boils over and bubbles out of the vessel, the tradition is to shout "பொங்கலோ பொங்கல் (Ponggalo Ponggal)!" and blow the sangu (a conch), a custom practised to announce it was going to be a year blessed with good tidings.

~Day 3: Maattu Pongal : The third day of festival is Maattu Pongal. It is for offering thanks to cattle, as they help farmers in agriculture. On this day the cattle are decorated with paint, flowers and bells. They are allowed to roam free and feed sweet rice and sugarcane.

~Day 4: Kaanum Pongal: The fourth day of the festival is Kaanum Pongal (the word kaanum means "to view"). During this day people visit their relatives, friends to enjoy the festive season. It is a day to thank relatives and friends for their support in the harvest.

∆ SUGGI: "Karnataka"

On this auspicious day, girls wear new clothes to visit near and dear ones with a Sankranti offering in a plate and exchange the same with other families. This ritual is called "Ellu Birodhu." Here the plate would normally contain "Ellu" (white sesame seeds) mixed with fried groundnuts, neatly cut dry coconut and fine cut bella (jaggery). The mixture is called "Ellu-Bella". The plate contains shaped sugar candy moulds with a piece of sugarcane. There is a saying in Kannada "ellu bella thindu olle maathadi" that translates to 'eat the mixture of sesame seeds and jaggery and speak only good.' This festival signifies the harvest of the season, since sugarcane is predominant in these parts. In north Karnataka, kite flying with community members is a tradition. An important ritual is the display of cows and bulls in colourful costumes in an open field. Cows are decorated for the occasion and taken on a procession. They are also made to cross a fire. This ritual is common in rural Karnataka and is called "Kichchu Haayisuvudu."

*Since we are talking about Karnataka, here we bring the wishes from our Kannada Admin Psr1403 in her native language.*

Translation:
Hello!
Wishing you all a very Happy Makar Sankranti. May this Sankranti bring happiness, prosperity and wellness to your house. Hope everything gets better with this festival. Once more, a very happy Makar Sankranti to all!❤️

|NORTH INDIA|

∆LOHRI/MAGHI: "Punjab"

In Punjab, Makar Sankranti is celebrated as Maghi which is a religious and cultural festival. Bathing in a river in the early hours of Maghi is important and preceded by Lohri. A major mela is held at Sri Muktsar Sahib on Maghi which commemorates a historical event in Sikh history.

Culturally, people dance their famous "bhangra". Bonfire is something which is definitely not to be missed. They then sit down and eat the sumptuous food that is specially prepared for the occasion. It is traditional to eat "kheer", rice cooked in milk and sugarcane juice. It is also traditional to consume khichdi and jaggery. December and January are the coldest months of the year in Punjab. Maghi represents the change of the season to warmer temperatures and increase in daylight. Maghi fairs are held in many places.

*Now we have a small message from someone who is now not living in Punjab currently, infact not even in India, but belongs to tha land of five rivers, Punjab. Nandini_001*

Makkar Sakranti is the festival that I've never celebrated. But we used to have Lohri the day before Makkar Sakranti. For those who don't know what it is, let me explain it. So basically Lohri symbolizes the ripening of crops and the start of the harvest season. Lohri is all about togetherness, great food and singing and dancing around a huge bonfire. I remember we used to have so much fun during the bonfire, those chitchats, throwing dry fruits in the fire, and eating them too. It was just awesome! Now not blabbering more, I wish you all an extremely blissful and peaceful Makar Sakranti/Lohri/Uttarayan!
Love, Nandini

∆ KHICHERI: "Uttar Pradesh"

It involves ritual bathing. Over two million people gather at their respective sacred places for this holy bath such as Allahabad and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Haridwar in Uttarakhand. If they cannot go in the river then they bathe at home. There is a compulsion to bathe in the morning while fasting; first they bathe then they eat sweets such as til ladoo and gud laddo (known as tillava in Bhojpuri). Kite flying is an inevitable part of the festival in Uttar Pradesh, as with many states of India such as Gujarat and Maharashtra. Like other places in India, the references to sweets, til and gud are found in the songs sung on this day.

*Here comes a short description of how Kicheri is celebrated at bhsh22's place and her wishes for you all.*
Wishing my Wattpad family a very happy new year and happy Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Lohri, Bihu, Khichdi.

In UP we celebrate it as Kicheri where we make khichdi that day for one of the meals and fly kites too. We also do some daan where we give all the ingredients required to make khichdi like dal rice salt pepper and papad also which we eat as condiment with it. We also make in our houses laddoos of rice puff and jaggery and another laddoo with sesame seed and jaggery. We also put all the things that we eat in winters as sweets while doing that daan. And add some utensil or something wearable in winters or shawls or blankets whatever you wish to give. And all this is given to our staff in our houses or offices and given to either 7 or 14 of them.
Keep smiling and stay happy and safe.

*Kicheri wishes from Khamoshdil *
सूरज की राशी बदलेगी,
कुच का नसीब बदलेगा,
आसमन में रंग बिरंगी पतंग होगे
ठण्ड भी अब धीरे धीरे कम होगी ,

नए साल के पहले त्यौहार, मकर संक्रांति की हार्दिक शुभकामनाए। मेरी ईश्वर से यही कामना है की वह सबको अच्छी सेहत दे।

|WEST INDIA|

∆ UTTARAYAN: "Gujarat"

Uttarayan, as Makar Sankranti is called in Gujarati, is a major festival in the state of Gujarat which lasts for two days.
14 January is Uttarayan
15 January is Vasi-Uttarayan (Stale Uttarayan).
Gujarati people keenly await this festival to fly kites, called 'patang'. Kites for Uttarayan are made of special light-weight paper and bamboo and are mostly rhombus shaped with a central spine and a single bow. The string often contains abrasives to cut down other people's kites.

In Gujarat, from December through to Makar Sankranti, people start enjoying Uttarayan. Undhiyu (spicy, baked mix of winter vegetables) and chikkis (made from til, peanuts and jaggery) are the special festival recipes savoured on this day. On this day, parents send sweets to their daughters.

∆ MAKAR SANKRANT: "Maharashtra"

People exchange multicoloured halwa and til-gul laadoo (sweetmeats made from sesame seeds and jaggery). Gulachi poli/puran poli (flat bread stuffed with soft/shredded jaggery mixed with toasted, ground til) and some gram flour, which has been toasted to golden in pure ghee, are offered for lunch. While exchanging til-gul as tokens of goodwill people greet each other with the words "तिळगुळ घ्या, आणि गोड-गोड बोला / til-gul ghyaa, aani goad-goad bolaa" meaning 'Accept this til-gul (sweet) and utter sweet words'. The underlying thought in the exchange of til-gul is to forget the past ill-feelings and hostilities and resolve to speak sweetly and remain friends.
Married women invite friends/family members and celebrate Haldi-Kunku. Guests are given til-gul and some small gift, as a part of the ritual. Women make it a point to wear black clothes. As Sankranti falls in the winter months of the region, wearing black adds to the body warmth. This is an essential reason behind wearing black, which is otherwise barred on festival days.

*Our Mumbaikar admin RRao_13 sends her heartfelt wishes.*
तिल गुड ग्या आणी गुड गुड बोला.
तुम्हीं सगलाना मकर संक्रांति च्य हार्दिक शुबेक्ष।
मी आशा कारते की तुम्हि सगलचे जीवन खुश आनि आनंदच हो.जो तुमचा कामना आहे ये वर्षा शुद्ध शुद्ध हो.
Translation:-
Happy Makar Sankranti to all! I hope all your wishes get fulfilled.

*naivedya_2004 wishes you all in her language as well.*
तुम्हा सर्वना मकर संक्रांतिके हार्दिक शुभेछा, तुमच आयुष्या पतंग खुप उनचा उडो अन तिल गुल खा गुड गुड बोला
Translation:-
Wish you all a very Happy Makar Sankranti , May your life's kite soar high, have tilgul ladoo and speak sweet words.

|EAST INDIA|

∆TIL SANKRANT/KHICHDI/ MAKRAAT: "Bihar & Jharkhand"

In Bihar and Jharkhand, the festival is celebrated on 14-15 January.
On 14 January, it is celebrated as Makar Sankranti or Til Sankrant or Sankrant or Khichdi (in local dialects). As in other parts of the country, people take baths in rivers and ponds and feast upon seasonal delicacies as a celebration of good harvest. The delicacies include chura (flattened rice), dahi, gur, sweets made of til such as tilkut, tilgul, tilwa, maska, etc., milk, seasonal fruits and vegetables. Kite flying festivals are organised, albeit on a small scale. On 15 January, it is celebrated as Makraat (in some parts of the state) when people relish special khichdi .

The festival is one of the most important. People start their day by worshiping and putting til into fire followed by eating "dahi-chuda", a dish made of beaten rice served with a larger serving of dahi, with cooked kohada (red pumpkin) that is prepared specially with sugar and salt but no water. The meal is generally accompanied by tilkut and lai (laddu made of til, chuda and rice).

At night a special khichdi is made and served with its four traditional companions, "char yaar" (four friends) - chokha (roasted vegetable especially mashed potato or brinjal), papad, ghee and achaar. Since such a rich khichdi is generally made on this festival, the festival is often colloquially referred to as "Khichdi".

*Wishes from aakritisinghh02 *
आपके और आपके परिवार को मकर संक्रांति की बहुत बहुत शुभकामनाए। आशा करते हैं की आपका दिन अच्छा जाए और आप इस दिन का अच्छे से आनंद ले। दही छुड़ा के साथ तिलकुट और लायी खाना बिलकुल न भूले। और हाँ पतंग उड़ाने का आनंद ज़रूर लें क्यूंकि इस दिन पतंग नहीं उड़ाया कुछ नहीं किया।

∆ MAKAR SANKRANTI: "Odisha"

During Makar Sankranti, people prepare Makara Chaula, a recipe with rice and jaggery as the main ingredients. Special pujas are performed at shrines such as the Puri Jagannath temple, and people worship the Sun God on this day while the farmers hope for an abundant yield. Exhibitions and fairs are held in various regions and people fly kites to commemorate the auspicious day. They celebrate this festival with great enthusiasm, singing, dancing and generally having an enjoyable time eating their particular dishes sitting together, and by lighting bonfires.

Interestingly, in some Odisha regions, people celebrate the bond of friendship, and this tradition is known as Makara Basma. A friendship band is tied to symbolise the bond of friendship. A male friend is addressed as Maharshad while the female friend is referred to as Makarathe.

*__wandering__ is now here with her wishes.*
ନମସ୍କାର ମୋ ପ୍ରିୟ ଭାଇ ଆଉ ଭଉଣୀ ମାନେ,
ଆପଣ ମାନଙ୍କୁ ମକର ସଂକ୍ରାନ୍ତିର ଅନେକ ଅନେକ ଶୁଭେଚ୍ଛା ଓ ଅଭିନନ୍ଦନ ଜଣାଉଛି |
ଆଶା କରୁଛି କି ପ୍ରଭୁ ଜଗନ୍ନାଥଙ୍କ କୃପା ଦୃଷ୍ଟି ଆପଣ ମାନଙ୍କ ଉପରେ ସବୁ ବେଳେ ରହୁ ଏବଂ ଏହି ନୂଆ ବର୍ଷ ଆପଣ ମାନଙ୍କ ପାଇଁ ଖୁବ ଶୁଭ ଆଉ ମଙ୍ଗଳମୟୀ ରହୁ |
ମୋରୋ ଏତିକି କାମନା ଯେ ୨୦୨୧ ଆପଣ ମାନଙ୍କ ପାଇଁ ଖୁଶି ଆଉ ଉଲାଶ ରେ ପରିପୁନ୍ନ ହୋଉ |

ସ୍ନେହ
କିଆର ସେଇଠି ମହାପାତ୍ର 🥳

Translation:-
Greetings to my dear readers,
Sending you many greetings and congratulations on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.
I hope that the gracious eyes of Lord Jagannath will always be upon you and that this New Year will be very auspicious and prosperous for you.

I wish you all the best for 2021. 🥳

Love,
Kiara Shetty Mahapatra

*Other wishes of our family members*

• Miss_Dona
।। এই মকর সংক্রান্তির উদীয়মান সূর্য
আপনাদের পরিবারে সুখ
শান্তি এবং সমৃদ্ধি আনুক
আপনাকে ও আপনার পরিবারকে
জানাই মকর সংক্রান্তির শুভেচ্ছা
অভিনন্দন ও ভালবাসা ।।

।। পিঠে পুলি পাটিসাপটা
ভেবে নাও খাবে কোনটা
যদি চাও পায়েসের হারি
চলে এসো আমার বাড়ি ।।

Translation:-
This Makar Sankranti, may the Sun
Bring Joy and Happiness
Peace and Prosperity
To You and to Your Family Wishing A Happy Makar Sankranti
With Lots of Love and Smiles

Pithe Puli Patisapta (Sweet Rice Cakes n Pancakes)
Think about which one you wanna eat
If You want Kheer's Bowl
Come Fast to Our Home

• AngelineDsouza_7
The festival of sun and harvest is here. May it enlighten your knowledge and wisdom. The rising sun and the flying kites radiate peace, prosperity, Hope and happiness in your lives forever! Sending my Heartfelt wishes to you and your Family for a Happy and Blessed Makar Sankranti. 😍😍

*ajmera_navya
आओ सगला मिल मकरसंक्रांत मानावा
तिल्ली का लाड्डू सब मिल खावा
घर म चारो ऊर खुशिया फैलावा
पतंगा हगला मिल डगला पर उडावा
खूब मौज मस्ती धमाल करंआ
आओ सगला मिल मकरसंक्रांती मानावा
तिल्ली का लाडू , गजक , तिलपट्टी, रेवडी ,
गली मोहल्ला में बाट आवा
मैं सगला मिलकर खूब खावा
पकौडी , मिठा , गुलगुला एक दूजा नं खिलावा
आओ सगला मिल मकरसंक्रांत मानावा
गंगा में डूबकी लगावा
शरीर आपणो स्वस्थ बनावा
आओ सगला मिल मकरसंक्रांत मानावा
तिल्ली का लाड्डू सब मिल खावा

Translation:-
Let's celebrate this makar Sankranti together;
Let's eat tilli laddu together.
Let's spread the happiness in our family;
Fly the colour full kites in the sky from our terrace.
Let's enjoy and make this day memorable;
Let's celebrate this makar Sankranti together.
Let's make sweets to make sweet memories
And share the sweets and distribute it to our neighbours.
Let's eat these sweets together and spread the happiness with eachother.Let's celebrate this makar Sankranti together; let's enjoy in Ganga shores which helps us to wash away our bad deeds and purifies the soul.Let's celebrate this makar Sankranti together;Let's eat tilli laddu together.

• vansika2233

इस मकर संक्रांति पर मुझे उम्मीद है कि सूर्य देव आपके और आपके परिवार पर अपनी कृपा बरसाते हैं। मैं प्रार्थना करता हूं कि यह कठिनाइयों का अंत हो और आपके जीवन में सफलता, खुशी और शांति लाए। मकर संक्रांति की शुभकामनाएँ |🤗

Translation:-
On this Makar Sankranti, I hope that the sun god showers his blessings on you and your family. I pray that this is the end of hardships and bring success, happiness and peace in your life. Happy Makar Sankranti. 🤗

THAT'S IT FROM OUR SIDE.
HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY YOUR FESTIVALS. 🥰🥰

Whatever be the region, Punjabi songs are cherished everywhere, and here are some songs you can dance on the beats of, this festival.

━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━

𝙱𝙰𝙽𝙽𝙴𝚁 𝙱𝚈: RRao_13
𝙲𝙾𝙽𝚃𝙴𝙽𝚃 𝙱𝚈: __wandering__
𝙲𝙾𝙽𝚃𝙴𝙽𝚃 𝙴𝙳𝙸𝚃𝙸𝙽𝙶: pahul_gpk