Tilgul Ghya Aani God God Bola
“Til-gul ghyaa, aani goad-goad bola” –meaning, take this sweet and say sweet things. I’m back in India at the right time it seems! Sweet tooth that I am, I’m happy to be here in India to celebrate Makar Sankranti. Also called Uttarayan (or the day on which the sun begins its northward journey), it’s a festival celebrated on January 14, every year. All other Indian festivals are celebrated as per the lunar calendar, which make their days of celebration on the solar calendar vary every year. It is the only Indian festival celebrated on a fixed calendric day of the solar calendar.
Makar Sankranti in Maharashtra
Makar Sankranti is known by different names and celebrated with different customs in different parts of the country, and marks the arrival of spring in India. I’m in Maharashtra right now, where the custom is to wear black, and exchange sweets known as ‘til-gul’. Another interesting tradition they have in multiple parts of the country is to fly colourful kites. Quite a group activity it is! Kids and adults alike fly brightly coloured kites. There are even kite flying competitions! So much fun isn’t it?
Asking around, I found out that in India, during this festivals, farmers typically plan their future crop cycles along with celebrating the current harvest. And the best part about this is that the farm animals are also a part of the meeting! That’s kind of sweet isn’t it?
The one thing I love about traveling all over the world is that I always stumble upon such fascinating and fun customs and traditions! And the oh-so-delicious food, that is always a given with the festivities. And trips to India are always accompanied by lip-smacking food!
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Read all about Makar Sankranti, the festival of kites, visit: https://mocomi.com/makar-sankranti-festival/