Wish you Happy Makar Sankranti

* Wish you Happy Makar Sankranti *

Makar Sankaranti also called the festival of prosperity and positivity heralds the beginning of an auspicious start to the new year. Rising amidst foggy and dark clouds, the sun serenades the autumn as the festive spirit bowls down everyone. The festival is celebrated with pomp and glory across different Hindu communities. It is a major Hindu festival which is a pre-cursor of the harvest season and thereby prosperity.

During Sankranti, different communities celebrate it in traditional ritualistic ways. In Maharashtra, women usually wear black saris and ornamental jewellery while exchanging 'Til Gul'. The message is loud and clear, Til Gul ghya, god-god bola which literally is a message to talk good and positive stuff.

In Tamil Nadu, the festival is celebrated as Pongal where people cook sweet rice and other delicacies and shout, 'Pongal'.

Whereas, in Punjab, it is called 'Lohri' where music, dance and prayers take the center-stage with fervour and dedication.

Karnataka does away with the prefix and calls the festival 'Sankranti' or 'Shankranti'. The festival is celebrated joyously by sharing sweets and neem-leave-jaggery mixture powdered together. This is exchanged among family and friends to mark the auspicious beginning of the year.

Makar Sankranti is the day that marks the transition of the Sun into Makara rashi (Capricorn) on its celestial path. The day is also believed to mark the arrival of spring in India and is a major harvest festival.