Makara Sankranti, one of the important festivals of the Hindus is here. Market places are adorned with flowers, and flooded with sweets and people are making their customary purchases for this harvest festival across the state.

Makara Sankranti marks the transition of the Sun into the zodiac sign of Makara rashi (Capricorn) on its celestial path. The day is also believed to mark the arrival of spring in India and is a traditional event. Makara Sankranti is a solar event making it one of the few Indian festivals which fall on the same date in the Gregorian calendar every year.

On the day of festival, people wear new clothes, exchange wishes along with friends and family and visit their homes. People also exchange yellu – a mixture of fried sesame, peanuts and gram with jaggery and copra which is a symbol of prosperity.

The preparation begins a month before. Buying sugarcane, decorating houses with flowers, drawing rangoli in front of the houses and preparing special food is part of the celebration.

Across India, the festival is celebrated in different ways. Though extremely popular as Makar Sankranti, the festival is predominantly a harvest festival and is celebrated throughout India, from north to south and east to west. While Makar Sankranti is most popular in West India, down south, the festival is known as Pongal and in the north, it is celebrated as Lohri. Uttarayan, Maghi, Khichdi are some other names of the same festival.

In Tamilnadu the festival is called as Pongal which is held for four days. In Kerala on the day of Makara-Sankranti, the appearance of Makarajyothi in Sabarimala is significant. Lakhs of Ayyappa devotees visit the holy place to get glimpse of Makarajyothi every year. The jyothi appears thrice from the hill. In Gujarat and Maharashtra, kites are flown by the children and exchange til-gul where sesame and jaggery laddoos or chikkis. In Punjab and Haryana the festival is called as Lohari.

The grandeur of the past is missing these days as the Sankranthi celebrations end by wishing friends and having good food at hotels.

Even though there are different ways of celebration, Makara Sankranthi remains the festival of prosperity.

May the Makar Sankranti fire burn all the moments of sadness and bring warmth of joy to all.

News Karnataka extends good wishes on this auspicious day of Makara Sankranthi