Makar Sankranti, which shall be celebrated on January 14 this year, is a Hindu festival which marks the end of the month with the winter solstice and the starting of longer days.
The day is dedicated to the Sun God and devotees take a dip in the Ganga river to mark this auspicious day. The day acts as a harbinger of the harvest festival and marks the beginning of spring. An activity which is synonymous with this day is kite flying and the sky is seen covered by kites of all colours and sizes.
The festival has different names in different states, even though it is celebrated on the same day. It is referred to as Pedda Panduga in Andhra Pradesh, Makar Sankranti in Karnataka, Magh Bihu in Assam, Magha Mela in parts of central and north India and Pongal in Tamil Nadu.
One tradition common to all these celebrations is making sweets from sesame and jaggery. This sweet symbolizes peace and happiness.
In bangladesh, old Dhaka dwellers are all set to fly kites, lanterns and display fireworks to celebrate Poush Shankranti, also known as Shakrain, on Monday.
bbarta/IF
