As the year’s first harvest season arrived, various communities observed their regional festivities with utmost joy. The Sikh community celebrated Lohri while the Maharashtrian community celebrated the festival of Bhogi on Monday. Similarly, the Gujarati and Maharashtrian communities will celebrate Makar Sankranti on Tuesday.
As the sun is set to transition from the zodiac sign of Sagittarius to Capricorn, the annual occurrence is celebrated through various festivals across the country. These festivals are associated to the country’s agrarian history as the new crops are harvested and the shared joy of harvesting the crop is celebrated by the community..
This harvest festival is celebrated as Makar Sankranti among the Maharashtrian communities and as Uttarayana among the Gujarati communities. However, the day before Makar Sankranti is celebrated as Lohri in Punjab and other northern states and as Bhogi in Maharashtra and other southern states. This year, Makar Sankranti will have a special significance as jupiter will be in the Taurus zodiac sign and sun in Capricorn, proving a special day for holy dips at Maha Kumbh mela.
“The festival of Makar Sankranti is observed to celebrate the entrance of sun in the uttara (north). People follow all the rituals to keep their body healthy against cold to mark the end of the season. This includes eating sesame, massaging body with sesame oil and women wearing black clothes. People celebrate the festival by flying kites as a symbol to bow down in front of the sun god,” said astrologer DK Soman.
Also referred to as the festival to mark the passing of Winter, Lohri is predominantly celebrated in Punjab and other regions in its north. People ignite a community bonfire and sing popular folklores around the firepit to celebrate the end of winter crop season. Lohri also signifies the coming of warmer and sunny days.
Synchronicity society in Chandivali observed the festival by organising a celebration with community bonfire and cultural events. “Like every festival, we also organised Lohri in the society’s podium on Monday. We called a Bhangra troupe to dance along the bonfire the entire night. It is a festival of warmth, joy and abundance so it may bless our life abundantly,” said Mandeep Singh Makkar, chairman of the society.
