Maghi

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Maghi
Hindu Devotees Pray To Surya - Makar Sankranti Observance - Baje Kadamtala Ghat - Kolkata 2018-01-14 6877.JPG
Hindu devotees pray to Surya
TypeReligious and Cultural
SignificanceMidwinter festival, celebration of Winter Solstice
CelebrationsRitual bathing, Madraison Puja, Masant, Eating traditional food
Begins1st Magh Sangrand Hindu calendar
FrequencyAnnual
Related to Makar Sankranti

Maghi is the regional name of the Hindu festival of Makar Sankranti celebrated in Punjab, Haryana Jammu division and Himachal Pradesh. In Himachal, the festival is also known as Maghi Saaji [1] [2] or Magha Ra Saza. [3] In Bihar and Nepal it is also referred to as Maghi Parva or Maghi Sankranti. [4] [5] whereas it is known as Maghi Sangrand or Uttarain (Uttarayana) in Jammu and Sakrat in Haryana, 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. The next morning Hindus see as an auspicious occasion for ritual bathing in ponds and rivers. [6]

Contents

In Hinduism

Makar Sankranti (or Pongal) is celebrated in other parts of Indian subcontinent by Hindus, [7] 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 River Ganga or if that is not possible, in some other river, rivulet, canal or pond. [7] It was on Maghi (Makar Sankranti) day, Bhishma attained mukti (liberation) after hearing discourses about mysteries of life and death, since Kartik Purnima day during Mahabharata war. [8]

It follows the festival of Lohri in north India, particularly popular in the Punjab region.

Himachal Pradesh

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. 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. [9]

In Sikhism

For Sikhs it is a community gathering to commemorate martyrdom of forty Sikhs (Chalis Mukte) who once had deserted the tenth and last human Guru of Sikhism, Guru Gobind Singh at Anandpur Sahib, but later rejoined the Guru and died while fighting the Mughal Empire army led by Wazir Khan in 1705. [10] Sikhs make a pilgrimage to the site of the war, and take a dip in the sacred water tanks of Muktsar. [11] [12]

A fair (mela) is held at Muktsar Sahib every year and called the Mela Maghi is held in memory of the forty Sikh martyrs. [13] Before this tradition started to commemorate the Sikh martyrs who gave their lives to protect the tenth Guru, the festival was observed and mentioned by Guru Amar Das, the third Guru of Sikhism. [14]

Cultural celebration

In Punjab, Maghi is celebrated by people eating kheer such as Rauh di kheer which is an old dish where rice is cooked in sugarcane juice. The dish is prepared in the evening before Maghi and is kept to cool. It is served cold next morning on Maghi with red-chili mixed curd. [15] In some parts of Punjab, India, it is also traditional practice to eat Khichdi mixed with lentils, consume raw sugarcane and jaggery, [9] [16] Fairs are held at many places in Punjab on Maghi. [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Makar Sankranti</span> Hindu festival that reveres Surya (sun god)

Makar(a) Sankranti, also referred to as Uttarayana, Makar, or simply Sankranti, is a Hindu observance and a festival. Usually falling on the date of January 14 annually, this occasion marks the transition of the sun from the zodiac of Sagittarius (dhanu) to Capricorn (makara). Since the sun has made this transition which vaguely coincides with moving from south to north, the festival is dedicated to the solar deity, Surya, and is observed to mark a new beginning. Many native multi-day festivals are organised on this occasion all over India.

Sankranti refers to the transmigration of the sun from one zodiac to another in Indian astronomy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magha (month)</span> Eleventh month of the Hindu lunar calendar

Magha is the eleventh month of the Hindu calendar, corresponding to January/February of the Gregorian calendar. In India's national civil calendar, Magha is also the eleventh month of the year, beginning on 20 January and ending on 18 February.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vaisakhi</span> Religious, harvest and traditional new year festival for Dogras

Vaisakhi, also pronounced Baisakhi as well as Basoa, marks the first day of the month of Vaisakh and is traditionally celebrated annually on 13 April and sometimes 14 April. It is seen as a spring harvest celebration primarily in Northern India. Further, other Indian cultures and diaspora celebrate this festival too. Whilst it is culturally significant as a festival of harvest, in many parts of India, Vaisakhi is also the date for the Indian Solar New Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lohri</span> Winter folk festival in India

Lohri is a popular winter Punjabi folk festival celebrated primarily in Northern India. The significance and legends about the Lohri festival are many and these link the festival to the Punjab region. It is believed by many that the festival marks the passing of the winter solstice. Lohri marks the end of winter, and is a traditional welcome of longer days and the sun's journey to the Northern Hemisphere by people in the northern region of the Indian subcontinent. It is observed the night before Maghi, according to the solar part of the lunisolar Punjabi calendar, and almost always falls on 13 January.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Muktsar Sahib</span> City in Punjab, India

Sri Muktsar Sahib is a historical city and district headquarters in Punjab, India. The 2011 Census of India put the total population of Sri Muktsar Sahib municipality at 117,085, making it the 14th largest city of Punjab, in terms of population. The second Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Angad was born in the village Matte-di-Sarai (Sarainaga) in the same district. Earlier the city was called Khidrana/Khidrane di dhab, the city was named Muktsar after the Battle of Muktsar in 1705 and the district headquarters in 1995. The government officially changed the name of the city to Sri Muktsar Sahib in 2012, though the city is still primarily referred to by its unofficial name – Muktsar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maghe Sankranti</span> Annual Nepali festival

Maghe Sankranti is a Nepali festival observed on the first of Magh in the Vikram Sambat (B.S) or Yele calendar bringing an end to the winter solstice containing month of Poush. Tharu people celebrate this particular day as new year. It is also regarded as the major government declared annual festival of the Magar community. Maghe Sankranti is similar to solstice festivals in other religious traditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magh Mela</span> Annual festival which is held in the month of Magha near river banks and Hindu temples.

Magh mela, also spelled Magha mela, is an annual festival with fairs held in the month of Magha (January/February) near river banks and sacred tanks near Hindu temples. About every twelve years, Magha melas coincide with what is believed by faithful as an astrologically auspicious position of Jupiter, sun and moon, and these are called the Kumbh Mela such as the one at Allahabad. In the south, a notable festival is at the Mahamaham tank in Kumbhakonam; in the east, at Sagar island of West Bengal and Konark, Puri. The Magha festival, along with the bathing rituals as a form of penance, is also observed by the Hindu community in Bali, Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mela Maghi</span> Occasion when Sikhs commemorate the sacrifice of forty Sikhs

Maghi da Mela (Punjabi: ਮਾਘੀ ਦਾ ਮੇਲਾ ), held at the holy city of Sri Muktsar Sahib each year in January or the month of Magh according to Nanakshahi calendar and it is one of the most important melas or fairs of India and the most important of all religiously significant gatherings of the Sikhs.

Punjabi festivals are various festive celebrations observed by Punjabis in Pakistan, India and the diaspora Punjabi community found worldwide. The Punjabis are a diverse group of people from different religious background that affects the festivals they observe. According to a 2007 estimate, the total population of Punjabi Muslims is about 90 million, with 97% of Punjabis who live in Pakistan following Islam, in contrast to the remaining 30 million Punjabi Sikhs and Punjabi Hindus who predominantly live in India.

Here is a list of glossary of Culture of India in alphabetical order:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lal Loi</span> Sindhi term for Punjabi winter folk festival

Lal Loi is the Sindhi term for the Punjabi winter folk festival of Lohri. It is celebrated in some parts of the Pakistani province of Sindh by the Hindus and also celebrated by Sindhi Hindus in India. On the day of Lal Loi children bring wood sticks from their grand parents and aunties and light a fire burning the sticks in the night with people enjoying, dancing and playing around the fire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jammu division</span> Administrative division in Jammu and Kashmir, India

The Jammu division is a revenue and administrative division of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is bordered by the Kashmir division to the north. It consists of the districts of Jammu, Doda, Kathua, Ramban, Reasi, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur and Samba. Most of the land is hilly or mountainous, including the Pir Panjal Range which separates it from the Kashmir Valley and part of the Great Himalayas in the eastern districts of Doda and Kishtwar. Its principal river is the Chenab.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punjabi Sikhs</span> Ethnic group of the Indian subcontinent

Punjabi Sikhs are adherents of Sikhism who identify ethnically, linguistically, culturally, and genealogically as Punjabis. Sikhs are the third-largest religious group of the Punjabi ethnic community, after the Muslims and Hindus, and they form the largest religious community in the Indian state of Punjab. Sikhism is an indigenous religion that originated in the Punjab region of South Asia during the 15th century. Almost 97% of the world's Sikh population are Punjabis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Punjab, India</span> Overview of and topical guide to Punjab, India

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Punjab:

References

  1. ↑ Sharma, Dheeraj; Exclusive, Exams (2019-01-28). PIB Summary 2018 Exams Exclusive. DHEERAJ SHARMA.
  2. ↑ Somasī (in Hindi). Himācala Kalā-Samskr̥ti-Bhāshā Akādamī. 1991.
  3. ↑ Singh, Manoj (2018-01-01). Vaidik Sanatan Hindutva (in Hindi). Prabhat Prakashan. ISBN   978-93-5266-687-4.
  4. ↑ Chopra, Kanchan; Perrings, Charles (2001). Ecological Economics for Sustainable Development. Academic Foundation. ISBN   978-81-7188-193-2.
  5. ↑ Pandey, Ram Niwas (2008). Nepal, Through the Ages: Approach to Ancient History, Art, Architecture, Culture & Society. Adroit Publishers. ISBN   978-81-87392-79-8.
  6. ↑ Melton, J. Gordon; Baumann, Martin (2010-09-21). Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, 2nd Edition [6 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. ISBN   978-1-59884-204-3.
  7. 1 2 Census of India, 1961: Punjab. Managher of Publications
  8. ↑ General, India Office of the Registrar (1962). Census of India, 1961. Manager of Publications. p. 80. Maghi also happens to be the day on which Bhishma, the octogenarian leader of forces of Kaurvas as mentioned in the Mahabharata, emancipated his soul from the bondage of the body by a conscious act of his will, after discoursing for many days on the mysteries of life and death as he lay wounded on the battle-field pierced by innumerable arrows.
  9. 1 2 Thakur, Molu Ram (1997). Myths, Rituals, and Beliefs in Himachal Pradesh. Indus Publishing. ISBN   978-81-7387-071-2.
  10. ↑ J. Gordon Melton; Martin Baumann (2010). Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, 2nd Edition. ABC-CLIO. p. 1769. ISBN   978-1-59884-204-3.
  11. ↑ Business Standard 14 January 2015
  12. ↑ Tony Jaques (2007) Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: F-O. Greenwood Publishing Co.
  13. ↑ Fenech, E. Louis; Mcleod, H. W. (11 June 2014). Historical Dictionary of Sikhism. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 65. ISBN   978-1-4422-3601-1.
  14. ↑ Jawandha, Major Nahar Singh (1 January 2010). Glimpses of Sikhism. Sanbun Publishers. ISBN   9789380213255 . Retrieved 14 September 2016– via Google Books.
  15. ↑ 'Rauh di kheer’ is the people’s favourite. The Tribune. (14.01.2017 )accessed 15.01.2017
  16. ↑ Sundar mundarye ho by Assa Singh Ghuman Waris Shah Foundation ISBN B1-7856-043-7
  17. ↑ Sekhon, Iqbal S. The Punjabis. 2. Religion, society and culture of the Punjabis. Cosmos (2000)
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