Celebrating the Onset of the Spring Season — Pongal

Pongal aka Sankranti

By Charisma Bharadwaj

Did you know there are 12 Sankrantis a year? This is because Sankranti is a solar event, which occurs when the sun transitions from one Rashi (zodiac sign) to another.

Makara Sankranti / Pongal is a popular harvest festival celebrated on and after January 14th, marked as the beginning of spring in most parts of India.

IMG_20170401_101819-01Copyright: Charisma Bharadwaj

When the sun moves to the Makara (Capricorn) Rashi, it is the beginning of the Uttarayana (northward movement) a period between the transitioning of the sun from Capricorn to Cancer. One of the biggest festivals in Gujarat, The International Kite Festival or the Uttarayan is celebrated on this day (January 14).

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What’s fascinating about the history of kite-flying is, what used to be a class sport (associated with the royals) during the time of the Mughal Empire, slowly transitioned into a mass sport.

The Harvest Festival

The essence of Pongal lies in appreciating the onset of the spring season — celebrating the efforts and the hard work of farmers.

Farming

Copyright: Charisma Bharadwaj

Different names of the same festival in different Asian countries

Nepal: Maghe Sananti

Thailand: Songkran

Laos: Pi Ma Lao

Myanmar: Thingyan