Musings: Happy Makar Sankranti Festival SMS greetings

Happy Makar Sankranti Festival SMS greetings

written by Unknown at Wednesday, January 14, 2009

11 Things you wanted to know about Makar Sankranti.

1. Sankranthi, or Sankranti (Sanskrit: मकर संक्रान्ति), is a festival that signifies the beginning of the harvest season for the farmers of Indian Sub-Continent. This is a harvest festival celebrated not only all over India but other South East Asian Countries as well.

2. Makara Sankranti has special geo-agri-economical significance to people of Indian Sub-Continent.

3. Makara Sankaranti is about transition of Sun into Capricorn on its celestial path. This is significant considering the Winter Solstice marks the beginning of the gradual increase of the duration of the day. Traditionally, this has been one of many harvest days.

4.The day on which the sun begins its journey northwards is referred to as Makara Sankranti. Sankramana means "to commence movement". Hence, the name Makara Sankranti is given to one of the largest, most auspicious, but varied festivals in the Indian subcontinent.

5. Makara Sankranti identifies a period of enlightenment, peace, prosperity and happiness followed by a period of darkness, ignorance and viciousness with immense sorrow. The six months of northern movement of the sun is followed by six months of southern movement. This is the same analogy as the Kingdom of Rama that lasts for half the world cycle followed by the Kingdom of Ravana for the other half of the cycle. Analogously, the kingdom of Rama is heaven and the kingdom of Ravana is hell.

6. This worship of Saraswati is for the same reason that they celebrate Vasanta Panchami that represents the first day of spring and falls in January-February. People are dressed in yellow that signifies auspiciousness and spirituality and it represents the ripening of the spring crops. The Bengalis call Vasanta Panchami Saraswati Puja, where her image is finally immersed in the holy Ganges

7. Makar Sankranti is one of the most auspicious days for the Hindus and is celebrated in almost all parts of India in myriad cultural forms, with great devotion. Millions of people take a dip in places like Ganga Sagar (point where the river Ganga meets the Bay of Bengal) and Prayag and pray to the Sun God (Surya). It is celebrated with pomp in southern parts of India as Pongal, and in Punjab as Lohri and Maghi.

8.In the western Indian state of Gujarat, the celebrations are even bigger. People offer thousands of their colorful oblations to the Sun in the form of beautiful kites. The act stands as a metaphor for reaching to their beloved God, the one who represents the best. Makar Sankranthi also happens to be the day on which Bhishma, the grand sire of Pandavas and Kauravas from the epic Mahabharata voluntarily left his mortal coil. This day is also very special for women of southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Unmarried women here pray in hope of getting a good husband or for longevity of their husbands, in case of married women.

9. Sankranti is celebrated all over India with some regional variations:
In North India,
Himachal Pradesh - Lohri
Punjab - Lohri
Uttar Pradesh - Sankranti
In East India,
Bihar - Sankranti
Assam - Bhogali Bihu
West Bengal - Makara Sankranti
orissa - Makara Sankranti
In Western India
Gujarat and Rajasthan - Uttarayan (Kite flying festival)
Maharashtra - संक्रान्त Sankranti
In South India,
In Andhra Pradesh - సంక్రాంతి Makara Sankranti
In Tamilnadu - Pongal
In Karnataka - ಸಂಕ್ರಾಂತಿ Sankranthi
Makara Vilakku Festival in Sabarimala Temple
Other parts of India as Makara Sankranti
In Nepal,
Tharu people - Maghi
Other people - Maghe Sankranti or Maghe Sakrati

10. Subtle meaning in Sankranthi
Makar Sankranti is the day when the Sun God begins its ascendancy and entry into the Northern Hemisphere. Sun for Hindus stands for Pratyaksha Brahman - the manifest God, who symbolizes, the one, non-dual, self-effulgent, glorious divinity blessing one and all tirelessly. Sun is the one who transcends time and also the one who rotates the proverbial wheel of time. The famous Gayatri Mantra, which is chanted everyday by every faithful Hindu, is directed to Sun God to bless them with intelligence & wisdom. Sun not only represents God but also stands for an embodiment of knowledge & wisdom. Lord Krishna reveals in Gita that this manifested divinity was his first disciple, and we all know it to be indeed a worthy one too. No Sundays for the Sun, may be because one who revels in its very 'being', the very essence of his own Self, is always in the Sunday mood.
The co-relation of cosmic events with individual life is one of the most astounding traits of Hindu Masters. Once this co-relation is brought about these cosmic events become instrumental in reminding us of the best which we cherish and value. Sun is the most glorious and important cosmic body, thus every sun-centric event becomes an important spiritual, religious & cultural event in India.

11.Many Melas or fairs are held on Makar Sankranti the most famous being the Kumbh Mela, held every 12 years at one of four holy locations, namely Haridwar, Prayag (Allahabad), Ujjain and Nashik. The Magh Mela (or mini-Kumbh Mela held annually at Prayag) and the Gangasagar Mela (held at the head of the Ganges River, where it flows into the Bay of Bengal).
Makara Sankranti is celebrated in Kerala at Sabarimala where the Makara Jyothi is visible followed by the Makara Vilakku celebrations.

Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makar_Sankranti

Here are 3 greetings/sms for Happy Makar Sankranti Festival 2009

What is that bright light? from where does this fragrance coming? This gentle breeze...cool air...hearty music... oh! its sankranthi...Hav a nice day....

Meethe gud main mil gaya til,udi patang aur khil gaya dil,Har pal sukh aur har din shanti aap ke liye Happy Makar Sankranti..

Tan mein masti Mann mein umang. Dekar sabko apnapan Gud mein jaise meethapan. Hokar saath hum Udaye PATANG Aur bharle aakash mein apne rang. Happy Sakranti!

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