Essay on Makar Sankranti

Important Points: Introduction - When makar sankranti is celebrated in 2022 - History behind celebrating Makar Sankranti - Why Makar Sankranti is celebrated in India as well as other countries - How to celebrate Makar Sankranti in India - Significance of Makar Sankranti - Today's Makar Sankranti Festival - Conclusion.

Makar Sankranti is considered a major festival of Hinduism. This festival is celebrated when the Sun enters Capricorn in the month of Paush. Makar Sankranti is one such festival, which is celebrated with great pomp in India and Nepal. Makar Sankranti is known as Til Sankranti in Bihar. Makar Sankranti is also known as Uttarayan in some areas of Uttarakhand and Gujarat. It is believed that charity done on the festival of Makar Sankranti would have earned a hundred times more merit than other days. Along with this, this festival of Makar Sankranti is famous for kite flying across India.

The festival of Makar Sankranti in the year 2022 will be celebrated on 14th January, Friday.

The festival of Makar Sankranti is celebrated according to the astronomical calculation. This festival was celebrated on 24 December during the reign of the great ruler Harshavardhana of the 6th century. Similarly, during the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar, this festival was celebrated on January 10, because every year the Sun enters Capricorn with a delay of 20 minutes, so this date keeps on increasing and this is the reason that every 80 years The date of this festival gets extended by one day. According to the Hindu religious text Mahabharata, Bhishma Pitamah left his body on the day of Makar Sankranti. Along with this, on this day Lord Surya goes to meet his son Shani Dev and Shani Dev is also the lord of Capricorn, so this day is also known as Makar Sankranti. Along with this, there is also a legend about the special importance of bathing in the Ganges on this day, according to which, on the day of Makar Sankranti, Ganga joined the ocean while following King Bhagirath. This is the reason that on this day there is a huge crowd of devotees to bathe in the Ganges, especially in Gangasagar of West Bengal, where lakhs of devotees come to bathe on this day and pray to wash away all their sorrows by bathing in the Ganges. do.

There are many beliefs about the festival of Makar Sankranti, such as, according to Hinduism, when the Sun enters from one zodiac to another, it is called Sankranti and the total number of these zodiac signs is twelve. Among these, four zodiac signs like Aries, Capricorn, Cancer, Libra are most prominent and when the Sun enters Capricorn, this special festival of Makar Sankranti is celebrated. This day is considered very virtuous in Hinduism and it is believed that donations made on this day are many times more fruitful than other days. Kharif (winter) crops are harvested in India on the day of Makar Sankranti and because India is an agricultural country, these crops are the income of farmers and a major day of their life.

Makar Sankranti is a festival of celebration and joy. On this day preparations are made to welcome the new Kharif crop in India. There is a lot of happiness and enthusiasm among the people during Makar Sankranti festival. On this day, the farmers of the country seek blessings from God for their good crops. Hence it is also known as the festival of crops and farmers. On this day people in every region celebrate this Sankranti in their own way. Many people take bath first thing in the morning on this day and after that they leave the house to do charity work. On this day in Maharashtra, women while distributing til jaggery to each other say "Til jaggery dhhya and God God bola". Which means take sesame seeds and speak sweetly. It is celebrated in different ways in different states of India. In states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, during the festival of Makar Sankranti, they celebrate by eating khichdi. In Bihar, on this day, elders talk of serving their children in old age by feeding til jaggery. In West Bengal, a huge fair is also organized on this day at Gangasagar, in which lakhs of devotees gather.

Makar Sankranti is considered to be of great importance in our country. Makar Sankranti is the day when Ganga ji followed King Bhagirath and passed through Kapil Muni's ashram and joined the ocean. Therefore, this day is considered holy enough to bathe in the Ganges. Along with this, this day is also considered as the special day of Uttarayan because it is described in the scriptures that Uttarayan is the time when the day of the deities is there. Therefore it is considered very sacred and positive. This is the reason that this day is considered very virtuous for works like charity, bathing, penance, tarpan etc. It is said that whoever donates pure ghee and blankets on the day of Makar Sankranti, he attains salvation after his death by being freed from this bondage of life and death.

Today, like every festival, Makar Sankranti is also being celebrated in a modern way. In earlier times people used to fly kites on this day in open fields or empty places. Due to which there was no possibility of any kind of accident, but in today's time it has become opposite. Today people have started threatening animals and birds by using dangerous manja. Earlier people had many types of dishes, sweets in the house and all the families used to enjoy it together, but today everyone has started celebrating this holy festival of Makar Sankranti by ordering food from outside and having a party with their friends.

Makar Sankranti is a holy festival where everyone unites and enjoys this festival. Children play kite flying in the fields and on their terraces. The women of the house prepare colorful dishes and the elders do charity work in their neighbourhood. Indeed, Makar Sankranti is a holy festival which is celebrated by all with great pomp.