Festivals of January

By: Siddharth & Michelle S Aulakh

When I think about Lohri; bonfires, popcorn and rewari are the first things that pop into my mind. All the families and friends in my locality gathered around the big, bright fire, marking the end of the winter solstice and a sign for farmers to look forward towards cheerful radiant days of summer and to reaping the rabi crops.

Traditionally before starting the bonfire, families would go around the ‘Lal Loi’ to pay their respect to the Agni (the sun) God. The fire would then be lit and everyone, from children to the elderly would go around the bonfire, dancing to the tunes of folk music.

Lohri might have originated from Punjab with the Sikhs, but today people in different parts of India celebrate this festival irrespective of their beliefs, religion and place. It essentially celebrates the sun deity and the mother earth for a good harvest.

On the other hand, Makar Sankranti is a festival is seen with social celebrations, for example, vivid beautifications, children going door to door, singing and requesting treats in certain areas, melas, kite-flying, bonfires and feasts.

Similar to Lohri, Makar Sankranti celebrates the Surya Devta or Sun god. Farmers across India pay their gratitude to Sun god and wish for a good crop. This festival is known by many different names depending on the area like in Gujarat it is known by the name “Uttarayan”, “Maghi” in Punjab, “Sakraat” in Haryana, “Sankranthi” in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and “Shishur Saenkraath” in Kashmir.

Traditionally, on this day, people take a dip in the holy rivers of India; the Ganges, the Yamuna, the Godavari, the Krishna, and the Kaveri to cleanse themselves of their sins. Many perform a prayer to the sun as thanks for their success and prosperity. Another shared cultural practice that takes place during this holiday is making traditional sweets from sesame and jaggery. This type of sweet symbolizes being together in peace and joy.

Lastly, Pongal is a four-day-long festival celebrated in the state of Tamil Nadu. The celebration denotes the end of winter solstice, and the beginning of the sun's half year journey northwards when it enters the Tropic of Capricorn. The festival is named after the ceremonial "Pongal", which means "to boil, overflow" and refers to the traditional dish prepared from the new harvest of rice boiled in milk with jaggery (raw sugar). To mark the festival, the Pongal sweet dish is prepared and first offered to the gods and goddesses as per beliefs and tradition. Cattle are bathed, their horns polished and painted in bright colors, and garlands of flowers placed around their necks. The Pongal that has been offered to the Gods is then given to cattle, and later shared by the family.

Lohri, Pongal and Makar Sankranti, all the three celebrations are collect celebrations of the nation and are praised in various pieces of the nation with equivalent pageantry and show. Though Lohri is praised in North Indian conditions of Punjab and Haryana, Pongal is a celebration of the South and is particularly celebrated with loftiness in Tamil Nadu, Makar Sankranti is commended in various states like Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat, Bengal, Assam and Karnataka but all these three festivals are associated with the harvest of the rabi crops. No matter in whichever state these festivals originated from all Indians celebrate it together without any discrimination.