What is the Uttarayan Festival? (Makar Sankranti)

The word Uttarayan comes from Sanskrit:

• Uttar: North
• Ayan: Movement Astronomically, it marks the exact day when the Sun ends its southward journey (Winter) and begins its six-month-long journey towards the Northern Hemisphere (Spring and Summer). This brings warmer, longer days and signals the start of the harvest season.

Uttarayan is celebrated every year on January 14th (and sometimes the 15th). In the Hindu calendar, this specific day is celebrated across all of India under different names. In North India and Maharashtra, it is called Makar Sankranti; in Tamil Nadu, it is Pongal; and in Assam, it is Bihu.

While the whole country celebrates Sankranti, the state of Gujarat celebrates Uttarayan with unmatched passion through kite flying (Patangbazi).

• From early morning till late at night, people crowd their rooftops.
• The sky is filled with brightly colored kites, and neighbors engage in fierce kite-fighting battles using special glass-coated strings (Manja).
• When someone cuts an opponent's kite, they shout the famous victory cry: "Kai Po Che!" or "Lapet!"
• The Gujarat government also hosts the massive 'International Kite Festival' in Ahmedabad, attracting kite flyers from all over the world.

People bask in the mild winter sun and eat foods that keep the body warm. The most famous treats are Chikki (a hard sweet made of jaggery and peanuts/sesame seeds) and Undhiyu (a spicy mixed vegetable dish native to Gujarat).