Festivals, cultural & regional, are never settling affairs in India. The good loud cheers of festivities can be heard echoing from all parts of the country, bringing gaiety to people without exception. Indians never have to long for occasions. The arrival of each month brings with it days of celebration, with all the fanfare one can really imagine about!  The onset of the year itself fills the air with euphoric vibes, flowed out by famous Indian festivals: Makar Sankranti, Lohri, Pongal - tyohar samriddhi, samapan, aur aarambh ke!

January of each year witnesses a different than usual but happy mood in the surrounding. With the sun beginning its journey towards the north, religious festivals of India bring people and celebrations to the fore. Across the country, people can be seen singing folklores, gathering around, and joyfully bidding goodbye to the peak winter’s cold and welcoming the spring of life & longer days. . 

The awaited Makar Sankranti, Lohri, and Pongal falling at this time can be seen celebrating differently in different regions of India. Though every state has its version of doing the festive rituals, there resides a common thread jo in teeno tyoharon ko jodta hai. There may be dissimilarities, but the essence of each tyohar is the same - it’s their connectivity to nature, to human life, to livelihood, and the historic Indian culture.

MAKAR SANKRANTI | મકરસંક્રાંતિ

The Kinna Party is on! 

A harvesting festival that marks the day when the sun visits the house of his son- Shani, and also a symbol of the fruitful relationship between a father and a son, who carries forward the legacy of the family. Call it Makar Sankranti, call it Uttarayan, for the Gujarati circle, it’s a party blast and that too a big one. Do din ka dhamaka jo shuru hota hai with running and fetching a hoard of kites and tying kinnas to the kites, followed by the preparation of food, that’s totally an overeating ka saud and calling out a gathering of friends and family.

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The main day of celebrations ka scene toh aankhon dekhe banta hai. Start with imagining yourself waking up to Bollywood songs playing on every house’s terrace, getting all bucked up to go up and finding out ke hawa ka rukh kis taraf hai, and then with all the energy patang udane aur dusron ki patang ko katne ka silsila shuru hota hai. Everyone just waits for the moment to call out - Kai Po Che! Mind you, you definitely need a good firki partner for that.

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Though thakaan never hits anyone, par when food calls, well you’ve got to stop. Undhiyu, Puri, Khichdi, Pakode. You can’t really say these names bina muh mein paani laaye. Anyway, everyone waits for the evening time when people sit along, relax, and chill, guppe marte hue over uncountable cups of chai and farsan.

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Sama toh tab banta hai when the fully fun-loaded day ends on a beautiful note with an eye-pleasing sight of a lantern show. Sara aasmana jagmaga uthta hai and everyone pays gratitude to the good days, to nature, and happiness.

LOHRI | ਲੋਹੜੀ

Do Bhangra on the Dhol & Roll! 

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Marking the arrival of the harvesting season, Lohri is another festival that shares the same cord with Makar Sankranti and Pongal. Paving the way to the new season of spring and paying homage to the sun, this festival is majorly celebrated in Punjab, Haryana, and some parts of Uttar Pradesh.

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For the most happening Punjabi crowd, Lohri is the time when their energies touch the sky, just like the smoke of the bonfire that people gather around with friends and family as a ritual and give their offerings to the god. Going in circles, they can be seen feeding the fire with sweets, jaggery, and sugarcane.

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Foodies, hold yourself up, cuz the scrumptious food people splurge during Lohri is next level. Makki ki garam roti with sarson ka saag, alongside jaggery, gajak, and groundnuts, oh also, til ke ladoo. Oh ho! Peeli seher aur jagmagati shaam, jo sab ghul-mil guzarate hai, it signifies that just like Makar Sankranti, Lohri logon ke milne, nature se judne ka tyohar hai.

PONGAL | பொங்கல்

Vanakkam, fill your heart with good energy! 

Twinning with Makar Sankranti & Lohri, Pongal or Thai Pongal, call it anything, is an extravagant fest of 3 - 4 days. It is the harvesting festival of South India, which is celebrated the next day to Lohri with a thought to welcome new daylight and new beginnings.

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The first day of the festival is known as Bhogi, when old possessions are burned in the fire, as a message for people to detach from the old and embrace the new. To mark it as a festival of prosperity, on the second-day rice pudding is cooked in a clay pot from the freshly harvested rice and is allowed to flow out from the container, as it is considered as a sign of good fortune.

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On the third day, cattle are decorated and cows & bulls are worshiped. The last day is all about having a gathering of family and friends and enjoying some good quality times.

They say, “the greatness of a culture can be found in its festivals.” Rightly said! The vastness of nature, that’s celebrated throughout these cultural festivals of India, ye batate hai ke tyohar chahe pure desh mein kisi bhi roop mein manaye jaye, aadhaar sabka ek hi hai. 

Now, we know the cord that connects Makar Sankranti, Pongal, and Lohri. The fests are about to hit, so let’s get ourselves celebrating each with all enthusiasm! 

Happy Festivities!