India’s Harvest Festivals: Name List, Location, Significance & Cultural Value

PWOnlyIAS January 13, 2024 06:42 4545 0

Unity, prosperity, diversity: Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Lohri, Magh Bihu celebrate India's rich harvest festival and traditions.

India’s Harvest Festivals: Name List, Location, Significance & Cultural Value

Context: Recently, the President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu has greeted her fellow citizens on the Harvest Festival which falls on the eve of Lohri, Makar Sankranti, Magh Bihu and Pongal (which fall on January 13th, 14th and 15th respectively).

Celebrating Harvest Festival: Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Lohri, and Magh Bihu Unite India in Diversity

India is the land of festivals and as the New Year begins, it prepares itself to welcome the festivals of the season.

Celebrating with Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Lohri, Magh Bihu
- First crop yield during the New Year is a matter of joy and success for people in the country, and it is commemorated with vigour and pomp.
- The first harvest festivals of the year are Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Lohri, and Magh Bihu.
Significance of Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Lohri & Magh Bihu Harvest Festivals

- They are living forms of our cultural heritage as well as the symbols of unity in diversity.
- These festivals, celebrated in different manifestations across the country, forge social amity, unity and brotherhood.
- These agricultural festivals also promote environmental conservation.

Lohri Festival: Harvest Festival Across Punjab & Beyond

Lohri is popularly celebrated in Punjab, Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana. The Punjabi folk festival – also known as Lohadi or Lal Loi – marks the passing of the winter solstice and falls a day before Makar Sankranti.

Lohri: Embracing Warmth, Unity, and Harvest Celebrations
- Date: This year, Lohri will be celebrated on January 14.
- Significance: It celebrates the arrival of warmer weather because after Makar Sankranti, a day after Lohri, the nights get shorter, and the days get longer.
- Inter-faith Festival: Hindu and Sikh communities mark this day by lighting bonfires outside their homes or in their courtyards with wood and cow dung.
  - They offer sesame seeds, jaggery, gajak, rewdi and peanuts to the lit bonfire while doing Parikrama around it.
  - They harvest the crops and offer the bhog made using this new yield to the fire.

To Read More About Lohri, Click Here

Makar Sankranti: Harvest Festival & Traditions Across India

The harvesting festival of Makar Sankranti is dedicated to Lord Surya (Sun God) and marks the sun’s transit into Makara (Capricorn) Rashi (zodiac sign). People worship the new yield and share it with their loved ones. The festival is celebrated across the country.

Date: According to Drik Panchang, this year Makar Sankranti is on January 15, 2024 (Monday) after Lohri.
Duration: The festival lasts two to four days in most regions.
Festivities during Festival: During these days, people worship Lord Surya, go for a holy dip in sacred water bodies, perform charity by giving alms to the needy, fly kites, prepare sweets made of sesame and jaggery, and worship livestock.
Hindu Tradition: Festival of Sankranti has its roots in Hindu traditions and is celebrated all across India with different names:
- It is celebrated as Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Khichdi in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Uttarayanan in Gujarat and Rajasthan, and Maghi in Haryana and Punjab.

Makar Sankranti

To Read More About Makar Sankranti, Click Here

Pongal Harvest Festival: Nature’s Bounty, Gratitude, and Renewal Across South India

Pongal is a vibrant and auspicious harvest festival widely celebrated in South India that holds immense significance in Tamil Nadu. It is a four-day harvest festival coinciding with the Tamil month of Thai. Pongal is observed in Tamil Nadu, parts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Sri Lanka.

About: Pongal refers to a traditional dish, made of boiled rice, lentils, and sweeteners such as jaggery or sugar.
- It is offered to the gods as a form of gratitude for the bountiful harvest during the festival.
Date: This year, since 2024 is a leap year, the festivities will begin on January 15, i.e., Monday, and conclude on January 18, i.e., Thursday.
- Bhogi Pongal: It is on Monday, January 15, 2024.
- Surya Pongal: It is on Tuesday, January 16, 2024.
- Mattu Pongal: It is on Wednesday, January 17, 2024.
- Kannam Pongal: It is on Thursday, January 18, 2024.
Significance: It signifies prosperity, abundance, and the renewal of life, emphasising the deep connection between nature and human life, each day of the four-day festival has unique rituals.

To Read More About Pongal, Click Here

Magh Bihu: Assam’s Fire-Infused Harvest Celebration and Weeklong Festivities

Magh Bihu is a festival celebrated in Assam to mark the end of the harvest season. It happens in the Magh month according to the Bengali calendar and lasts for a week. This festival is Assam’s version of Sankranti, dedicated to Agni, the Lord of Fire, unlike the rest of India where Sankranti is dedicated to Surya, the Sun Lord.

Date: According to Drik Panchang, it begins on January 16.
Meji Custom: It is a makeshift structure made of bamboo, thatch, and local raw materials.
Uruka: Day preceding Magh Bihu is known as Uruka, where people light the Meji and worship the fire.
Other Names: Magh Bihu is also known by names like Bhogali Bihu and Maghar Domahi.
- It’s a time for joy, feasting, and celebrating the end of the harvest season in Assam.

To Read More About Magh Bihu, Click Here

Must Read
NCERT Notes For UPSC	UPSC Daily Current Affairs
UPSC Blogs	UPSC Daily Editorials

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India’s Harvest Festivals FAQs

Lohri is celebrated on January 14. It marks the end of winter solstice, symbolizing the arrival of warmer weather.

According to Drik Panchang, Makar Sankranti is on January 15, 2024, after Lohri celebrations.

Pongal signifies prosperity and renewal of life. This year, festivities start on January 15, concluding on January 18.

Magh Bihu is Assam's harvest festival dedicated to Lord Agni. It begins on January 16, featuring customs like Uruka and Meji.

Lohri is celebrated in Punjab, Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, and Haryana. It involves lighting bonfires, offering harvest produce, and performing Parikrama.

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India’s Harvest Festivals: Name List, Location, Significance & Cultural Value

Celebrating Harvest Festival: Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Lohri, and Magh Bihu Unite India in Diversity

Celebrating with Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Lohri, Magh Bihu

Significance of Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Lohri & Magh Bihu Harvest Festivals

Lohri Festival: Harvest Festival Across Punjab & Beyond

Lohri: Embracing Warmth, Unity, and Harvest Celebrations

Makar Sankranti: Harvest Festival & Traditions Across India

Pongal Harvest Festival: Nature’s Bounty, Gratitude, and Renewal Across South India

Magh Bihu: Assam’s Fire-Infused Harvest Celebration and Weeklong Festivities

India’s Harvest Festivals FAQs

When is Lohri celebrated, and what is its significance?

What is the date of Makar Sankranti this year?

What does Pongal signify, and when does it begin this year?

What is Magh Bihu, and when does it begin?

Which regions celebrate Lohri, and how is it commemorated?

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