*!*Happy Lohri,Makar-Sankranti &Ponggal*!*

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poonam

@Angel_Luv

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Posted: 9 years ago

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Makar Sankranti is celebrated on January 14th every year . The day when Sun moves from Sagittarius to Capricorn during the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere (Uttarayana) is known as Makar sakranti.

sankranti means movement. For the people of the northern hemisphere, the northward path of the sun means sun is getting closer to them by every passing day and the days are getting longer, a and warmer.

For Hindus, the sun stands for knowledge, spiritual light and wisdom. Makara Sakranti signifies that we should turn away from the darkness of delusion in which we live, and let the light within us shine brighter and brighter. One should gradually begin to grow in purity, wisdom, and knowledge, as the sun does beginning today.

Sun itself stands for all the ideals of the Pongal festival. It gives the message of light, unity, equality and true selflessness. These are the ideals of Karma Yoga. When one does everything without expecting any rewards in the return. Like sun gives us light . Trees gives us grain, flowers and fruits. If sun stops shedding its light, we are doomed to death. If we learn this one lesson from the Sun, our lives will shine with divine lustre like our Sun.

In Gujarat It is called uttraayan.

When sky is filled up with colorful kites. At night kites are flown with candles put in paper lanterns. Gujaratis celebrate it by inviting friends and family eating till gudd ladoos and other delicious foods.

Makara Sankranti is called Pongal by the Tamilians,

from whom it ushers in the New Year. The day begins with Surya Pongal or sun worship. The newly harvested corn is then cooked first time.

It is celebrated in every home. Servants, farmers and the poor are fed and clothed, and given presents or money. Next day, the cows, are worshipped. Birds and animals are also fed.

Such holy festival teaches us to feel our oneness with all creation; we learn to be unselfish and follow the path of love, purity and forgiveness. We also learn that real wealth is the goodwill and friendship of the people around us, the land on which our food grows, and the animals that help us to make our work lighter.

"Share what you have with all" that is the true meaning

In Bengal known as Pous Parbon

In West Bengal, Sankranti is known as Pous Parbon - a harvest festival. Every year, a very big mela (fair) is held at Ganga Sagar which a large number of pilgrims from all over the country attend.

In Uttar Pradesh celebrated as Khichiri

In Uttar Pradesh, Sankranti is celebrated as Khichiri.

Every twelve years at this time the Kumbh Mela is held here at Prayag in Allahabad at Uttar Pradesh. Bathing on the day of Makar Sankranti in the banks of the holy rivers is considered very auspicious. Millions of people take a dip in the holy waters on this day.

In Madhya Pradesh celebrated as Sukarat

In Madhya Pradesh, Makar Sankranti is celebrated as Sukarat or Sakarat.

It is known as Lohri or Lodi in Punjab

During the coldest month of January , Huge bonfires are lit on the eve of Sankarant and is celebrated as Lodi or Lohri. Punjabis throw Sweets, sugarcane and rice in the bonfires, around which friends and relatives gather together. The following day, which is Sankrant, it is celebrated as Magi. The Punjabi's dance their famous Jahangir dance . Then they sit down and eat the food made for this special occasion

Makar Sankranti is also celebrated by other different names in various parts of India like Orissa, Goa, Assam, the coastal regions, and even among tribals.

The traditions and celebrations might be different, but each of these festivals coveys the same message of brotherhood and peace.

Though Sankranti has various names ,but it is celebrated with great joy and vivacity in each and every part of India.

Edited by Angel_Luv - 9 years ago

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poonam

@Angel_Luv

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Posted: 9 years ago

The origin of the Lohri can be traced back to the tale of Dulla Bhatti. By the end of the first week of January, small groups of boys ring the doorbell of houses and start chanting the Lohri songs related to Dulla Bhatti. In turn, the people give them popcorn, peanuts, crystal sugar, sesame seeds (til) or gur as well as money. Turning them back empty-handed is regarded inauspicious.

Lohri marks the end of winter on the last day of Paush, and beginning of Magha (around January 12 and 13), when the sun changes its course. It is associated with the worship of the sun and fire and is observed by all communities with different names, as Lohri is an exclusively Punjabi festival. The questions like When it began and why is lost in the mists of antiquity. The origin of Lohri is related to the central character of most Lohri songs is Dulla Bhatti, a Muslim highway robber who lived in Punjab during the reign of Emperor Akbar. Besides robbing the rich, he rescued Hindu girls being forcibly taken to be sold in slave market of the Middle East. He arranged their marriages to Hindu boys with Hindu rituals and provided them with dowries. Understandably, though a bandit, he became a hero of all Punjabis. So every other Lohri song has words to express gratitude to Dulla Bhatti.

Some believe that Lohri has derived its name from Loi, the wife of Sant Kabir, for in rural Punjab Lohri is pronounced as Lohi. Others believe that Lohri comes from the word 'loh', a thick iron sheet tawa used for baking chapattis for community feasts. Another legend says that Holika and Lohri were sisters. While the former perished in the Holi fire, the latter survived. Eating of til (sesame seeds) and rorhi (jaggery) is considered to be essential on this day. Perhaps the words til and rorhi merged to become tilorhi, which eventually got shortened to Lohri. Ceremonies that go with the festival of Lohri usually comprises of making a small image of the Lohri goddess with gobar (cattle dung), decorating it, kindling a fire beneath it and chanting its praises. The final ceremony is to light a large bonfire at sunset, toss sesame seeds, gur, sugar-candy and rewaries in it, sit round it, sing, dance till the fire dies out. People take dying embers of the fire to their homes. In Punjabi village homes, fire is kept going round the clock by use of cow-dung cakes.

Edited by Angel_Luv - 9 years ago

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poonam

@Angel_Luv

Stunner

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Posted: 9 years ago

Makar Sankranthi, or Sankranti is a popular Indian festival. It is celebrated in many parts of the country and also in some other parts of the world with great zeal and enthusiasm. It is a harvest festival which is basically celebrated in the Hindu communities. In Indian, the states of Bihar, Bengal, Punjab, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu celebrate the festival with great fervor and gusto.In Tamil Nadu the festival is known as Pongal, in Assam as Bhogali Bihu, in Punjab, as Lohiri, in Gujarat and Rajasthan, as Uttararayan. Outside India, the festival is given due importance in the countries like Nepal where it is celebrated as Maghe Sakrati or Maghi, in Thailand where it is named as Songkran and in Myanmar where it is called Thingyan. The festival of Makar Sankranti marks the day when the sun begins its northward journey and enters the sign of Makar (the Capricorn) from the Tropic of Cancer. It is like the movement of sun from Dakshinayana (south) to Uttarayana (north) hemisphere. It is the one of the few chosen Indian Hindu festivals which has a fixed date. This day falls on the 14th of January every year according to the Hindu Solar Calendar. The festival is considered to be a day from where onwards all the auspicious ritualistic ceremonies can be solemnized in any Hindu family. This is thus considered as the holy phase of transition.

Shankranti means transmigration of Sun from one zodiac in Indian astrology to the other. As per Hindu customary beliefs, there are 12 such Sankrantis in all. But the festival is celebrated only on the occasion of Makara Sankaranti i.e. the transition of the Sun from Sagittarius ('Dhanu' Rashi ) to Capricorn('Makara' Rasi). In this case, the zodiacs are measured sidereally, and not tropically, in order to account the Earth's precession. That is why the festival falls about 21 days after the tropical winter solstice which lies between December 20 and 23rd. Here the sun marks the starting of Uttarayana, which means northern progress of Sun. Makar Sankranti holds special significance as on this day the solar calendar measures the day and night to be of equal durations on this day. From this day onwards, the days become longer and warmer. It is the day when people of northern hemisphere, the northward path of the sun marks the period when the sun is getting closer to them. The importance of the day was signified by the Aryans who started celebrating this day as an auspicious day for festivities. The reason behind this may be the fact that it marked the onset of harvest season. Even in the epic of Mahabharata, an episode mentions how people in that era also considered the day as auspicious. Bhishma Pitamah even after being wounded in the Mahabharata war lingered on till Uttarayan set in, so that he can attain heavenly abode in auspiciuous times. It is said that death on this day to brings Moksha or salvation to the deceased.

Tan mein masti,
maan mein umang,
chalo akash mein dale rang,
ho jaye sab sang-sang,
Udayye PATANG!
HAPPY MAKAR SANKRANTA!

Edited by Angel_Luv - 9 years ago

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poonam

@Angel_Luv

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Posted: 9 years ago

Pongal is a highly sacred festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka to mark the harvesting season. The South Indians celebrate this festival and it always falls in the middle of January...Pongal is celebrated by offering prayers to the Sun God, Surya. It is a four days long festival, whereby the farmers bask in joyful celebrations.
The houses are cleaned and well decorated before Pongal.

Each of these days hold a significance of its own

Bogi Festival

The first day is a tribute to the God of Rain and it is known as 'Bogi' festival. This day falls before Pongal on the 13th of January. On this day, Hindus will burn rubbish & unwanted items from their houses. The Hindus feel that this practice of burning rubbish in fire is like getting rid of the bad and evil from their houses.

Surya Pongal

Surya Pongal and is dedicated to Surya (Sun God). It is the day on which the celebration actually begins and is also the first day of the Tamil month Thai.

The saying "Thai Pirandhal Vazhi Pirakkum" which means "the birth of the month of 'Thai' will pave a way for new opportunities" is often quoted regarding the Pongal festival.

Women wake early on this day to create elaborate colorful rangoli (pongal kolam) on the grounds in front of their doorway or home.

Every member of the family gets up early in the morning, bathes, puts on new clothes and gathers to cook the traditional pongal

On this day the new rice is collected and cooked in pots until they overflow. The pot, in which the Pongal is cooked, is decorated with flowers, sugarcane pieces, turmeric plant, etc.
Pongalo Pongal... Pongalo Pongal

It is this overflowing which means Pongal. This overflowing of rice is a joyous occasion, and the children and adults as well will shout out 'Pongal-o Pongal!'' The first offering is made to the Sun

Maattu Pongal

The third day is known as 'maathu pongal' where the people offer their thanks to their cattle, especially to the cows. Cows are decorated with bells hanging around their necks and served milk and food. If you are a tourist who visits Tamil Nadu around this festive period, you will find it an unusual sight to see cows being lavished with flower garlands and bells. On this day, farmers would also proudly parade their cows in the village after feeding them.

Kaanum Pongal

This day is also known by the name of Kaanum Pongal when colored balls of cooked rice are placed in the open air by girls for the birds and crows to eat. With each ball of rice that the sister makes she prays for her brother's happiness and the brothers and sisters wherever they may be remember each other'

Arati is performed for the brothers with turmeric water, limestone and rice, and this water is sprinkled on the kolam in front of the house.

In few places this day is also known as Karinaal or Thiruvalluvar Day. This day is dedicated to the sun god, Surya and has its roots in ancient Brahminical tradition. Since Pongal is a rural, agrarian based festival that celebrates the harvests, the sun is a vital part of the proceedings. This is because the Sun is the symbol of life on Earth.

Overall, Pongal is a popular and important festival for all farmers in Tamil Nadu.

Preparations for this festival start early and the first thing that is always found in Hindu homes before the start of Pongal is the 'kolam'. This is a form of decoration for the Hindus' homes. This decorative pattern is made with rice flour & is usually drawn on the floor outside the door. The kolams serve as a symbol of welcoming guests to the entrance of the house. In order to prepare for the festival, old clothes are thrown away before the festival starts. The houses are cleaned and decorated to prepare for Pongal. For the festival, the Hindus buy new clothes and the ladies of the households would prepare sweetmeats. There is also a belief in the Hindus that the harvest festival will bring great wealth and goodness to their homes. During the festival entertaining events like bullfights would also be organized.

Edited by Angel_Luv - 9 years ago

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poonam

@Angel_Luv

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+ 4

Posted: 9 years ago

Some Festive Sweets

Enjoy The Festival😃

Edited by Angel_Luv - 9 years ago

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🌹Vinnas💙Chandu🌹

@vinnas

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+ 2

Posted: 9 years ago

to all😃😃😃

Edited by vinnas - 9 years ago

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Amit

@..GurmiT..

Sparkler

+ 2

Posted: 9 years ago

hah i m also wondering to c that 😆

btw happy makar sankranti

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poonam

@Angel_Luv

Stunner

+ 4

Posted: 9 years ago

Originally posted by: vinnas
res omg poo di posted in 5 places 😲 😳 in a thread 😛 ..

hmmm dear ham Lohri,Ponggal, Makar-Sankranti sab ek hi thread pe celebrate kar rahe h tho itne saare places tho chahiye hi na res karne ke liye dear😳 fir bhi itni mehnat karne ke baad only two members replied...😲

muzhe lagta h ab muzhe threads open karna chhod dena chahiye...bcoz ppl do not have time even to check it & cmnt on it & they do not even press d like button...😲

sab apni apni life m busy h...😲

Edited by Angel_Luv - 9 years ago