Maghi and Makar Sankranti

Maghi is an annual festival celebrated by Sikhs commemorating the memory of forty Sikh martyrs. Makar Sankranti is a major harvest festival celebrated in various parts of India.

Why is it important?

Maghi is celebrated on first day of the month of Magh of Hindu Calendar. It follows on the heels of the mid-winter festival of Lohri which is marked by bonfires in North Indian fields and yards.

Maghi is the regional name of the Hindu festival of Makar Sankranti celebrated in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, two states of Northern India.

Significance in Sikhism

Chali Mukte

For Sikhs, Maghi means primarily the festival at Muktsar, a district town of the Punjab, in commemoration of the heroic fight of the Chali Mukte, literally, the "Forty Liberated Ones", who laid down their lives warding off an attack by an imperial army marching in pursuit of Guru Gobind Singh.

Magh

The action took place near a pool of water, Khidrane di Dhab, on 29 December 1705. The bodies were cremated the following day, the first of Magh (hence the name of the festival), which now falls usually on the 13th of January. Following the custom of the Sikhs to observe their anniversaries of happy and tragic events alike, Maghi is celebrated with end-to-end recital of the Guru Granth Sahib (tenth Sikh Guru, a spiritual master, warrior, poet and philosopher). Sikhs also make a pilgrimage to the site of the war, and take a dip in the sacred water tanks of Muktsar.

Maghi de Mela

Maghi da Mela (Punjabi: Ó¿«Ó¿¥Ó¿ÿÓ®Ç Ó¿ªÓ¿¥ Ó¿«Ó®çÓ¿▓Ó¿¥ (Gurmukhi)), is a festival held at the holy city of Sri Muktsar Sahib and is one of the most important melas or fairs of India and the most important of all religiously significant gatherings of the Sikhs.

People gather from all over Punjab, even other parts of India to join the festival. Merchants display their wares for sale, which include from trinkets to high-end electronics and agricultural machinery (since most around are farmers). The country's biggest circuses, Apollo and Gemini, with their merry-go-rounds and giant wheels, are the special attraction for children.

Significance in Hinduism

Makar Sankranti (or Pongal) is celebrated in other parts of Indian subcontinent by Hindus, and is always on the first day of the month of Magha in Bikrami calendar. On Maghi, when the sun takes its northern journey on entering the sign of Makara or Capricorn, the Hindus take bath in the Ganges or if that is not possible, in some other river, rivulet, canal or pond. It follows the festival of Lohri in north India, particularly popular in the Punjab region.

Maghi in Himachal Pradesh

Maghi Saaji or Magha Ra Saza festival

Maghi is popularly referred to as Magha Ra Saza in some parts of Himachal Pradesh. As Magh is the coldest month in the hills when agriculture comes to stand still, this month is dedicated to worship of Agni Devta (a fire deity). In villages of Himachal, Lohri night is part of Maghi celebrations and is referred to as Masant. Another ritual associated with Maghi is Madraison Puja when the houses are cleaned and decorated.

Makar Sankranti

'Sankranti' meaning 'transfer', this day is considered as the transition day of Sun into Capricorn. In the Hindu calendar, this festival is dedicated to the deity Surya (sun) and is observed with social festivities such as colorful decorations, children going house to house, singing and asking for treats (in some areas), melas (fairs), dances, kite flying, bonfires and feasts.

Celebrations

Makara Sankranti is regarded as important for spiritual practices and accordingly, people take a holy dip in rivers, especially Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri. The bathing is believed to result in merit or absolution of past sins.

They also pray to the sun and thank for their successes and prosperity. For most parts of India, this period is a part of early stages of the agricultural cycle, where crops have been sown and the hard work in the fields is mostly over. The time thus signifies a period of families socializing, taking care of the cattle, and celebrating around bonfires. in Gujarat the festival is celebrated by flying kites

Jaggery

A shared cultural practices found amongst Hindus of various parts of India is making sticky, bound sweets particularly from sesame (til) and a sugar base such as jaggery (gud, gur, gul).

This type of sweet is a symbolism for being together in peace and joyfulness, despite the uniqueness and differences between individuals.