Makar Sankranti

" May the Makar Sankranti fire burns all the moments of sadness in your life and brings joy and laughter ." Happy Makar Sankranti

Every year Makar Sankranti is celebrated in the month of January. This festival is dedicated to the Hindu religious sun god Surya. This significance of Surya is traceable to the Vedic texts, particularly the Gayatri Mantra, a sacred hymn of Hinduism found in its scripture named the Rigveda.

Makar Sankranti, one of the most ancient festivals of India, is celebrated as Uttarayan in Gujarat. Dedicated to the Sun god, Uttarayan marks the arrival of spring. Gujarat's Uttarayan festivities are rich in traditions. Kite flying, making delicacies with til (sesame seeds) and gur (jaggery), the ritual of taking a holy bath in the rivers are an integral part of Uttarayan festivities. Uttarayan is the auspicious six-month period between Makar Sankranti and Karka Sankranti. On Makar Sankranti, the Sun makes its northward journey and moves into Makara constellation and on Karaka Sankranti, the reverse happens when the Sun moves southwards and the Dakshinayan period starts.

Uttarayan in Gujarat is a time of great merry making and the festival also marks the beginning of the harvest season. It is believed that after a chilly winter, the bright sunshine of Uttarayan brings good health and happiness and to mark the change of season, people like to get out of their houses and enjoy the sunshine. Kite flying, a cheerful activity, traditionally became closely linked the festival. Many people also see this as an expression of gratitude to the Sun god..

During this critical situation, we still managed to celebrate Makar Sankranti through online mode in Pre- Primary section. The tiny tots of Gajera vidyabhavan sachin shared a fun filled day with their teachers and friends while celebrating Uttarayan . One of our educator explained about the Makar Sankranti and what precautions should be taken for Uttrayan.

Our educator also explained about the injuring of birds during Uttrayan and how we can save them . And for that , we did an activity related to "Save Birds" with our learners. They made beautiful birds pictures with the help of their handprint. They also get to know about the delicious sweets that we eat during Uttrayan. Even They took an oath that they will celebrate this festival in Eco - Friendly way without hurting innocent birds.