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
Observed byHindus and Sikhs of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu
TypeReligious and cultural
Significance Midwinter festival, celebration of winter solstice
CelebrationsRitual bathing, Madraison Puja, Masant, eating traditional food
Date14 January
FrequencyAnnual
Related to Makar Sankranti, Lohri

Maghi is the regional name of Makar Sankranti, the Indian harvest festival celebrated on winter solstice. Maghi falls on the first day of the month of Magh and is celebrated in Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Himachal Pradesh. 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 is seen as an auspicious occasion for ritual bathing in ponds and rivers. [1]

Contents

In Himachal Pradesh, the festival is also known as Maghi Saaji or Magha Ra Saza. [2] [3] [4] It is known as Maghi Sangrand or Uttarain (Uttarayana) in Jammu and Sakrat in Haryana.

In Hinduism

Makar Sankranti always falls on the first day of the month of Magha in the Vikram Samvat 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. [5] [6] In the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata , it was on Maghi (Makar Sankranti) that Bhishma attained mukti (liberation) after having heard discourses about the mysteries of life and death since Kartik Purnima during the Mahabharata war. [7]

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 a standstill, this month is dedicated to worship of Agni. In the 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. [8]

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. [9] Sikhs make a pilgrimage to the site of the war, and take a holy dip in the sacred water pond of Gurdwara Sri Tootti Ganddi Sahib in Muktsar. [10] [11]

A fair (mela) is held at Muktsar every year and called the Mela Maghi which is held in memory of the forty Sikh martyrs. [12] 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. [13]

Cultural celebration

In Punjab, Maghi is celebrated by 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. [14] In some parts of Punjab, India, it is also traditional practice to eat khichdi mixed with lentils, consume raw sugarcane and jaggery, [8] [15] Fairs are held at many places in Punjab on Maghi. [16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 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.
  2. ↑ Sharma, Dheeraj; Exclusive, Exams (2019-01-28). PIB Summary 2018 Exams Exclusive. DHEERAJ SHARMA.
  3. ↑ Somasī (in Hindi). Himācala Kalā-Samskr̥ti-Bhāshā Akādamī. 1991.
  4. ↑ Singh, Manoj (2018-01-01). Vaidik Sanatan Hindutva (in Hindi). Prabhat Prakashan. ISBN   978-93-5266-687-4.
  5. ↑ Census of India, 1961: Punjab. Managher of Publications
  6. ↑ Census of India, 1961: Punjab. Managher of Publications
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. 1 2 Thakur, Molu Ram (1997). Myths, Rituals, and Beliefs in Himachal Pradesh. Indus Publishing. ISBN   978-81-7387-071-2.
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. ↑ Business Standard 14 January 2015
  11. ↑ Tony Jaques (2007) Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: F-O. Greenwood Publishing Co.
  12. ↑ Fenech, E. Louis; Mcleod, H. W. (11 June 2014). Historical Dictionary of Sikhism. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 65. ISBN   978-1-4422-3601-1.
  13. ↑ Jawandha, Major Nahar Singh (1 January 2010). Glimpses of Sikhism. Sanbun Publishers. ISBN   9789380213255 . Retrieved 14 September 2016– via Google Books.
  14. ↑ 'Rauh di kheer’ is the people’s favourite. The Tribune. (14.01.2017 )accessed 15.01.2017
  15. ↑ Sundar mundarye ho by Assa Singh Ghuman Waris Shah Foundation ISBN B1-7856-043-7
  16. ↑ Sekhon, Iqbal S. The Punjabis. 2. Religion, society and culture of the Punjabis. Cosmos (2000)
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