Makar Sankranti: One Festival, Many Names, One Feeling

Hey Everyone 👋🏻

Today was Makar Sankranti, a festival that holds a special place in Indian culture. It is one of those festivals that is celebrated across the entire country, yet in different ways, with different names and traditions. Even though the rituals may vary, the essence of the festival remains the same — gratitude, togetherness, and the celebration of harvest and new beginnings.

In the UP region, Makar Sankranti is popularly known as Khichdi. On this day, people prepare khichdi at home and enjoy it with sesame seeds and jaggery-based sweets. In Punjab, it is celebrated as Lohri, where families gather around bonfires, sing traditional songs, and enjoy puffed rice, peanuts, and revri. In the southern regions of India, the festival is celebrated with different names and customs, marking the harvest season and the transition of the sun into Capricorn.

Across different regions of India, Makar Sankranti is celebrated with equal joy but in beautifully different ways. In Gujarat, it turns into a vibrant celebration with the famous International Kite Festival. The sky fills with colourful kites, and families enjoy sweets made of sesame and jaggery like chikki and laddoos. In Karnataka, the festival is celebrated as Suggi, where people exchange ellu-bella — a mixture of sesame seeds, jaggery, peanuts, coconut, and sugarcane — as a symbol of harmony and goodwill. In Telangana, Sankranti is celebrated over three days — Bhogi, Sankranti, and Kanuma. Homes are cleaned, rangolis decorate the courtyards, bonfires are lit, and cattle are honoured, especially in rural areas. Each region adds its own colour to the festival, yet the spirit of gratitude remains the same everywhere.

In my hometown Uttarakhand, Makar Sankranti is celebrated as Ghughutiya. The day begins with people taking a holy bath in the river at sunrise. After that, special dishes are prepared at home. One beautiful tradition is offering food to birds, especially crows, before eating it ourselves. Only after feeding the birds do the family members sit together and enjoy the food. The main dish of the festival is the sweet Ghughut, made using flour and jaggery and shaped in unique designs. It is not just a dish; it carries emotions, memories, and childhood nostalgia.

Although I live far away from my hometown, I still make ghughut and celebrate the festival in my own way. Festivals have a way of keeping us connected to our roots, no matter where we are. My hometown Bageshwar is especially known for hosting the grand Uttarani Kautik Mela, which also begins on this day. It is one of the biggest fairs in the region, filled with culture, tradition, and joy.

Makar Sankranti reminds us that despite our different languages, customs, and traditions, we are bound by the same values — respect for nature, gratitude for food, and the warmth of togetherness. Celebrating it, even away from home, brings comfort and a sense of belonging. Some festivals are not just about rituals; they are about memories, roots, and the feeling of home.