Makar Sankranti Kite Festival Mumbai

Makar Sankranti Kite Festival Mumbai, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Makar Sankranti

Makara Sankranti is a mid-winter Hindu festival of India and Nepal. The festival is celebrated to mark the transition of the Sun from Sagittarius to Capricorn during the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere (or the beginning of Uttarayana). The famous Kumbh Mela is also held on Makar Sankranti every 12 years. Sol redirects here. ... Sagittarius is an astrological sign, which is associated with the constellation Sagittarius. ... Capricorn is an astrological sign, which is associated with the constellation Capricornus. ... Northern hemisphere highlighted in yellow. ... The 2001 Kumbh Mela. ...
Contents

* 1 Introduction
* 2 Regional variations
* 3 Mela
* 4 External links

Introduction

Makara Sankranti is the only Hindu festival which is based on the Solar calendar rather than the Lunar calendar.In some parts of India, the festival is celebrated by taking dips in the Ganga or any river and offering water to the Sun god. The dip is said to purify the self and bestow punya. Special puja is offered as a thanksgiving for good harvest. A solar calendar is a calendar whose dates indicate the position of the earth on its revolution around the sun (or equivalently the apparent position of the sun moving on the celestial sphere). ... A lunar calendar is a calendar oriented at the moon phase. ... Ganga may refer to: Ganges River, a river in India Ganga, the Hindu goddess that personifies the Ganges River The Gangas, an ancient southern Indian dynasty Ganga (music), a type of rural folk singing from Croatia and Herzegovina Daren Ganga, a West Indian cricketer Ganga, an alternate spelling of ganja... In the Hindu theory of Karma, Punya is merit that accumulates as a result of good deeds, acts or thoughts and that carries over to later in life or to a persons next birth. ... A puja as performed in Ujjain during the Monsoon on the banks of the overflowing river Shipra. ...


Since the festival is celebrated in the mid winter, the food prepared for this festival are such that they keep the body warm and give high energy. Laddu of til made with Jaggery (Gur)is specialty of the festival.In Maharshtra it is called 'Tilgul', but the place where it is celebrated with much pomp is Andhra Pradesh, where the festival is celebrated for 3 days and is more of a cultural festival unlike an auspicious day as in other parts of india. sarah rules no matter what you say!!!!! Motichoor ladoo is a popular variant. ...


Regional variations

Makar Sankranti is celebrated all over India and Nepal with some some regional variations:

* In North India,
o Punjab - Lohri
o West Bengal and Assam - Bhogali Bihu
o Gujarat and Rajasthan - Uttarayan (Kite flying festival)
* In South India,
o In Tamilnadu - Pongal
o In Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh - Sankranthi
* Other parts of India as Makara Sankranti
* In Nepal,
o Tharu people - Maghi
o Other people - Maghe Sankranti or Maghe Sakrati

Dark green region marks the approximate extent of northern India while the regions marked as light green lies within the sphere of north Indian influence. ... , This article is about the Indian state of Punjab. ... Pongal (பொஙà¯à®•à®²à¯ in Tamil) is an Indian festival to give thanks for the harvest. ... , West Bengal (Bengali: পশà§à¦šà¦¿à¦®à¦¬à¦™à§à¦— Poshchimbôŋgo) is a state in eastern India. ... Assam (Assamese: অসম Ôxôm) is a north eastern state of India with its capital at Dispur, a part of Guwahati. ... This article is for the Indian state. ... , RÄjasthÄn (DevanÄgarÄ«: राजसà¥à¤¥à¤¾à¤¨, IPA: ) is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. ... Uttarayan, also known as Makarsakranti, is a kite-flying festival celebrated annually on January 14 in western India; it is a public holiday in Gujarat and Rajasthan. ... South India is a linguistic-cultural region of India that comprises the four states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the two Union Territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry, whose inhabitants are collectively referred to as South Indians. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... This article is about the Pongal festival. ... , KarnÄtakÄ (Kannada: ಕನಾ೯ಟಕ) (IPA: ) is one of the four southern states of India. ... “Andhra†redirects here. ... Sankranthi, or Sankranti, is a festival that signifies the beginning of the harvest season for the farmers of India. ... Makar Sankranti is a mid-winter festival of India and Nepal. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Maghe sankranti is a Nepalese festival observed in the month of January (at the end of the month of Magh). ...
Mela

Many Melas or fairs are held on Makar Sankranti the most famous being the Kumbh Mela, held every 12 years at one of four holy locations, namely Haridwar, Prayag (Allahabad), Ujjain and Nashik. The Magh Mela (or mini-Kumbh Mela held annually at Prayag) and the Gangasagar Mela (held at the head of the Ganges River, where it flows into the Bay of Bengal). For Mela Festivals today, see Mela Festival. ... The 2001 Kumbh Mela. ... , Haridwar (also spelt as Hardwar, Hindi: हरिदà¥à¤µà¤¾à¤°) is a holy city and municipal board in the Haridwar District in the state of Uttarakhand in northern India. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... , Ujjain (Hindi:उजà¥à¤œà¥ˆà¤¨) (also known as Ujain, Ujjayini, Avanti, Avantikapuri) is an ancient city of central India, in the Malwa region of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, on the eastern bank of the Kshipra River. ... , Nashik (Marathi: ) ( ) or Nasik (Marathi: ) is a city in Indias Maharashtra state. ... This article is about the river. ... Look up Bay of Bengal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...


Makara Sankranti is celebrated in Kerala at Sabarimala where the Makara Jyothi is visible followed by the Makara Vilakku celebrations. Sabarimala (Malayalam :ശബരിമല) is a pilgrim centre in Kerala in the Western Ghat mountain ranges of India. ... Makara Jyothi is a beacon that appears at dusk on the day of Makara Sankaranthi (14 January) on the Kantamala hills facing (north-eastern side) the Sabarimala temple, a popular Hindu pilgrim center in Kerala. ...


External links

* When is Makar Sankranti? Dates of Makar Sankranti until 2010
* Lohri Bai Lohri Kaka Charea Ghodi

Categories: Gujarati culture | Ethnic groups in India | Festivals in India | Festivals in Nepal | Hindu festivals | Hindu astronomy | Kites | January observances | Ethnic groups in South Asia | Indo-Aryan peoples | Winter festivals

Results from FactBites:

Makar Sankranti - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (487 words)
Makar Sankranti is a mid-winter festival of India.
The reason why Makar Sankranti is celebrated more than any other is that it marks the day the Sun starts moving north and the auspicious half of the year characterised by increasing daylight begins.
Makar Sankranti falls on January 14 on non-leap years and on January 15 on leap years.
Makar Sankranti - Encyclopedia, History, Geography and Biography (501 words)
Makar Sankranti means the day the Sun enters Capricorn.
Instead of the celebrating on the day of the Winter Solstice - Makar Sankranti is celebrated on Jan 14th the day the Sun enters the next zodiac sign according to Hindu astrology.
Many Melas or fairs are held on Makar Sankranti the most famous being the Kumbh Mela, held every 12 years at "Sangam", the confluence of the River Ganga and Yamuna at Benaras.

www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Makar-Sankranti