HARVEST
FESTIVALS - ART AND CULTURE
News: PM Modi greets people on Pongal,
Magh Bihu, Makar Sankranti
What's
in the news?
●
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 15
greeted people on the occasion of Pongal, Magh Bihu and Makar Sankranti.
Key
takeaways:
●
Makar
Sankranti is a festival dedicated to the Sun God in Andhra
Pradesh and Telangana.
●
Magh Bihu is the festival of the annual
harvest in Assam.
●
Pongal is a four-day harvest festival
dedicated to the Sun God in Tamil Nadu.
Harvest
festivals:
●
Pongal:
In South India and particularly in Tamil Nadu, it’s the festival of Pongal which
is being celebrated over 4 days at harvest time.
●
Lohri:
It is celebrated in North India particularly in Punjab as a traditional winter
folk festival or as a popular harvest festival of farmers.
●
Bhogi:
In Andhra Pradesh, it is celebrated as a four day festival with a bonfire with
logs of wood, other solid-fuels, and wooden furniture at home that are no
longer useful.
●
Magha
Bihu: In Assam and many parts of the North East, the
festival of Magha Bihu is celebrated. It sees the first harvest of the season
being offered to the gods along with prayers for peace and prosperity.
●
Uttarayan:
Gujarat celebrates it in the form of the convivial kite festival of Uttarayan.
●
Saaji:
In
Shimla District of Himachal Pradesh, Makar Sankranti is known as Magha Saaji.
Saaji is the Pahari word for Sankranti, the start of the new month. Hence this
day marks the start of the month of Magha.