Makar Sankranti 2023: Here’s How Different Indian States are Celebrating the Festival

The first religious festival in India according to the Gregorian calendar is Makar Sankranti, which is generally observed on January 14. It celebrates the arrival of spring and the start of a fresh crop-sowing season that will hopefully result in an abundant harvest.

While earnest prayers are being offered to the sun god on Makar Sankranti, also known as Pongal, Pedda Panduga, Poush Sankranti, Uttarayan, Maghi, Magh/Bhogali Bihu, and Shishur Senkrant, set off on a trip to any of these four states are celebrating and making the festival their own.

Sri Muktsar Sahib, Punjab

The Makar Sankranti, or Maghi, celebrations of Muktsar, which take the form of the Maghi Mela, are not to be missed. The fair is held in memory of the forty Sikh soldiers who died in the Battle of Muktsar in 1705. The harvest festival of Lohri falls on the same day as Makar Sankranti in Punjab and the majority of north India. Maghi is a time for prayer, thankfulness, and joy in Sri Muktsar Sahib, a sacred city. The pious go to the gurudwara, or Sikh temple, to offer their prayers and take a bath in the sarovar or temple tank.

The Sikh community of armed warriors, the blue-clad nihangs, and commoners alike are flocking to the fair's stores, booths, carnival rides, and restaurants. The aroma of cooked kheer, a rich mixture of rice, milk, dried fruits, and sugar, fills the homes and bazaars. After prayers, it is deemed lucky to sample the kheer first. 

The beloved dish of spinach mixture and flatbread made from maize flour, known as Sarson ka saag and Makki ki roti, is among the other delectable delicacies. Maghi is also a time when kite flying is practiced with great fervor throughout most of the northern Indian states, not only here.

Ahmedabad, Gujarat

Uttarayan, or Makar Sankranti as it is known in Gujarat, is the season for flying big kites. Apart from prayers and other religious observances, everyone in the state has been waiting for the kite fights to start. As they launch, pull, and guide their kites to soar higher than anyone else and before they are cut down and knocked out of the sky, people are standing on terraces, balconies, open fields, and river banks while shouting triumphantly, "Kai po che," meaning it is cut down!

To top it all off, the Sabarmati River's banks host the annual International Kite Festival around this time. At the festival, kite flyers from all over the world gather to fly kites of all sizes and shapes. Along with the fierce kite-flying competitions, people continue to chow down on delectable Gujarati fare. Enjoy the undhiyu festival special, a spicy mixture of many vegetables served with a side of deep-fried lentils and sugar syrup whorls or jalebis.

Jaipur, Rajasthan

The sun appears to be moving from the constellation of Sagittarius, or dhanu rashi, to the constellation of Capricorn, or Makara rashi, in the Pink City of Jaipur. It is the first festival of the year and is regarded as the sun's northward journey or Uttarayan. You will become immersed in the vibrant festivities that take place in Jaipur during Makar Sankranti. Invitations to various private and public feasts with Rajasthani delicacies like pheerni, a strung semolina, and milk sweet dish, daal ke pakora, or lentil paste dumplings, and til ke laddoo, or sesame seed and jaggery roundels, are distributed among pomp, festivity, and fun.

The Jaipur Kite Festival is another chance for amateurs and experts to showcase their kite-flying skills. To participate in the official celebrations, go to Jal Mahal Ki Paal.

Guwahati, Assam

One of the most awaited festivals of the year is Makar Sankranti, also known as Magh Bihu, Bhogali Bihu, or festival of food, in the northeastern state of Assam. Assam also signifies the end of the harvest season and the beginning of spring at this time, just like the rest of the nation. Two days are dedicated to the Magh Bihu celebrations; the first day is referred to as Uruka and the second is Bhogali Bihu.

Jalpaan, a breakfast of chira, or flattened rice, akhoi, or puffed rice, bora saul, and kumol saul, along with fresh cream, yogurt, and jaggery, starts the day. Pitha, or rice cakes, come in many varieties and are a staple of Assamese cooking.

All proud Assamese attend private or public events for feasting centered around bonfires or meji dressed in their finest traditional attire. The festivities include a bullfight spectacle and the eagerly awaited egg fight, or koni juj.

Try the rice-and-lentil dish khichddoh next, then sesame-and-jaggery- or til-chikki-crusted shales. Additionally, similar scenarios are taking place throughout Gujarat, including in Surat, Vadodra, Bhavnagar, etc., in addition to Ahmedabad.