Makar Sankranti: Patangbaazi, also called “kite flying” in many places, is a popular hobby or sport in which people fly kites of various types. This game is mainly based on flying in the air which is called kite. This can take many forms, from a major flight to a few leisure flights.
Patangbaazi takes different forms in different regions and is mostly done for retail and entertainment. Kite flying has its origins in Indian cultural tradition, but is played in many places around the world.
Various kite festivals and competitions are organized in many countries, where kite flyers showcase their art and compete with each other. It is a delightful and social activity that makes people enjoy flying in the sky.
Makar Sankranti is a Holy Festival
Makar Sankranti is a Hindu festival celebrated on the occasion of Sun’s entry into Capricorn. This festival is celebrated on 15 January or 14 January in the month of Magh in the Hindi calendar. This festival is celebrated with great pomp in different parts of India and Nepal and is known by different names, such as Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Uttarayan, Maghu Sankranti, Til Sankranti, Magh Bihu etc.
On this day, people go to the fields or rooftops of their homes with incense sticks, lamps, colorful paper kites, and different types of toys in support of the fields. Apart from this, a variety of food and sweets are enjoyed on Makar Sankranti. This festival has its own specialty in different regions, such as Makar Sankranti is called “Uttarayan” in Maharashtra, while in North India it is called “Lohri” and “Makar Sankranti”.
The importance of Makar Sankranti is that on this day the Sun starts moving towards the northern hemisphere, due to which the day time starts increasing and the night time starts decreasing. This marks the beginning of spring according to the Hindu calendar and marks the beginning of a new farming season for farmers.
These 10 Special Things About Makar Sankranti
- Home decoration: On the day of Makar Sankranti, people decorate their houses with incense, lamps, colorful paper kites, and different types of toys.
- Special food: Various Rajasthani, Maharashtrian, North Indian, and South Indian recipes are prepared on Makar Sankranti. Sweets made from sesame, jaggery, peanuts, jaggery pitha, kheer, laddu, and especially sesame seeds are eaten.
- Sesame Jaggery: Sesame seeds and jaggery have special significance on Makar Sankranti. Eating it gives energy to the body and helps in protecting in winter.
- Sesame laddu: Sesame laddus are made on the day of Makar Sankranti and are especially liked in North India.
- Uttarayan Bath: There is special significance of taking bath in the morning during Uttarayan time on this day. People take bath in Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, and other Sakar rivers.
- Flying kite: Makar Sankranti is also considered the festival of kite flying. People fly colorful kites and meet in the fields with threads tied in the sky.
- Makar Sankranti Puja: At many places people worship the Sun God and offer Arghya to him. After this various charitable activities are done.
- Lohri: People celebrate Lohri in Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh on the night before Makar Sankranti. On this day, after Lohri, children offer gifts and especially sesame, jaggery, rewari etc.
- Trick and go to the field: At many places, people go to the fields on this day to help the farmers and decorate the fields. This is called deceit and is a sign of social unity.
- Various regional dances: At many places people enjoy various regional dances in which North Indian people dance to the tune of Bhang.
He told that on the day of Makar Sankranti, charity and bathing in holy rivers have been given great importance.
Auspicious time of Makar Sankranti day
As soon as the Sun enters Capricorn, the Malamas will also end and the Sun will become Uttarayan and Uttarayan has been called the day of the Gods. From this day, auspicious works like marriage, upanayana, planet entry, mundan etc., which were on pause for the last one month, will start again. He told that according to Maniram Panchang, the auspicious time for marriage will be on 16, 20, 22, 30, 31 in January, 4, 6, 12, 18 in March, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 18 and 19 in April.