Makara Sankranti is celebrated in various parts of the Indian subcontinent to observe the day which marks the shift of the sun into ever-lengthening days. The festival is a seasonal observance as well as a religious celebration. We celebrate the harvest festival across the country with much fervor and gaiety with different names.
The festival Makara Sankranti is a solar event making it one of the few Hindu festivals which fall on 14 January every year.
This is known as Dakshinayan, which symbolizes as the night of god or the sign of negativity. Uttarayan is considered as a symbol of day of Gods or a sign of positivity.
Social Belief Of Makara Sankranti:
People take a holy dip in rivers, especially Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery as this is important for spiritual practices. The bathing is believed to wash away sins.
Indians and some other Asians believe in ancestral worshipping. It is one’s duty to pray and perform rites for their liberation.
The festival is one of bonding where every member of society is asked to bury the hatchet with enemies and live in peace.
Any meritorious deeds or donation during this period establishes more fruitful enhances the Spiritual emotion to God.
Reason Behind Celebration Of Makara Sankranti:-
The festival is a thanks giving ceremony for farmers. They celebrate the event to thank the spirits of nature, the Sun and the farm animals for their assistance for a successful harvest.
The rest of the people celebrate the festival to pay their thanks to the farmers for the production of food. The time thus signifies a period of socializing and family get-together, taking care of the cattle, celebrating around bonfires and flying kites.
This festival goes on for ten days, feasting, boat race, songs and dance are the major parts of attraction of this important Indian festival. It is celebrated with the til (sesame seeds) ke laddoo, gajak, Ellu Bella and sarson ka saag-makka ki roti.
This type of sweet is a symbolism for being together in peace and joyfulness, despite the unity in diversity.
The Meaning Of Kite Flying:-
People across India are seen on their roof tops and sky fills up with colorful kites. Kite-flying in olden days was generally done in the early hours of the morning. Kites seem vibrant and eye-catching hues splatter all over the tranquil blue sky.
At that time the sun’s rays were bright but not too harsh. Also, during kite-flying, the human body was exposed to the sun for long hours. Flying kites gives us a healthy exposure in the sun from early morning and are known to be a rich source of Vitamin D.
The early morning sun is considered beneficial for the skin and body. Winter is the time of a lot of infections and sickness. Hindus believed that basking under sun will clear the bad bacteria from human body.
How Kids will Learn From The Festival!!
Kite is symbol of having high aspirations and elevated vision. Man always had an inherent wish to fly high in the sky and reach the horizon. This would have surely made human race to invent the kite that can touch the sky on their behalf.
- We worship Cow which is a sacred animal in our country. This will teach child about Mother Nature and how he/she must respect the environment.
- Being a festival which helps us mend broken relations or welcoming new relations whole heatedly. This teach children will learn the values of their loved ones & importance of starting afresh is relevant.
- Preparing sesame sweets for your loved ones, teach tiny minds the significance of distributing sweetness among acquaintance.
- Donating sweets or requisites to poor teach tiny tots in giving away donations which will instill a set of good values in him.
- The festival spirit is showcased by flying the kites as high as possible which teach kids about keeping high ambitions without detaching from earth.
Conclusion:-
The festival of Makara Sankranti bring happiness, joy and prosperity, especially among the farmers community. The significance of the festival ignites happiness among kids so they can enjoy it even more fervor. They also gain insights into the rich cultural history of our country. Celebration of fun filling Makara Sankranti at Mentor international school is a day that teach children about the inception of peace, prosperity, goodwill and happiness.
