Paying Obeisance to the Sun

[Guest guest]

BANGALORE (January 12, 2006): The Sun, the source of all life on

Earth and considered the God of light, is worshipped by the people

on the day of Makara Sankranti. Sankranti, also called Sankramana,

means movement.

 

This festival is considered the festival of the Sun's movement, even

though the Sun enters 12 Zodiac signs in each month, which is called

Masa Sankranti, but in this 12-Masa Sankranti two of them are

considered auspicious days.

 

This represents the movement of Sun to two different ayanas -

Uttarayana and Dakshinayana. The Sun's movement from Karkataka to

Dhanu is called Dakshinayana and that of Makara to Mithuna is called

Uttarayana. Entry of Sun to these zodiac signs is considered

auspicious that brings good results.

 

The festival is celebrated for three days in some parts of the

country.Also, the festival is associated with agriculture since this

comes during the period of harvesting. Bhogi (Pausa Shukla

Chaturthi) on Friday: People cook delicious food and sweets at home

and the whole family gets together to enjoy the same.

 

Makara Sankranti or Pongal (Pausa Shukla Purnima) on Saturday: Early

morning, people take oil bath and light a lamp. It's also called the

festival of sesame and jaggery. They prepare a mixture of white

sesame, groundnut, fried gram and pieces of dry coconut.

 

Along with this, sugarcane, banana and designed sugar blocks are

kept as naivedhyam to the god and then distributed among family

members, saying: Eat the mixture, speak good things, and do good

deeds.'' On this day, people prepare pongal (rice cooked with

jaggery, dry fruits and ghee). They also bake the new harvest of raw

groundnut, avarekayi and sweet potato.

 

The mixture and sugarcane are distributed in the neighbourhood to

cultivate the give-and-take spirit. Also on this day, people offer

oblations to their ancestors. Mattu Pongal or cattle's day (Pausha

Krishna Pratipat) on Sunday: On this day, farmers give cattle a

wash, decorate them, and worship them.

 

SOURCE: The Times of India

URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1368113.cms