Farming, the backbone of our economy, requires complete care throughout the year to get the best harvest. The harvest season often falls in the second week of January signalling the end of the winter solstice. This occasion is celebrated all around the country in different ways. The first harvest is always offered to god as a way of thanking the deities for the year-long protection and safe-keeping. As you enjoy the Poush Sankranti with family, having pithe, puli and all other amazing mishti, why not spend the holiday watching the latest Bengali medical thriller, the ZEE5 Original Series Karkat Rogue below.
Sankranti signals the joy and happiness of all the farmers who toiled hard throughout the year to harvest their crops. We celebrate it in Bengal as Poush Sankranti. Elsewhere in India, it is celebrated as Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Lohri in Punjab and Makar Sankranti in all the other regions.
It is called Poush Sankranti after the Bengali month in which it falls, poush maash. The festival is used to worship the Sun god which is one of the key requirements for good crop success. As high yields and prosperity are a gift by the Sun, the need to worship became a tradition. Freshly harvested paddy and date palm syrup are used to make a wide variety of sweets such as Patisapta, Doodh Puli, Gokul Pithe, etc. On this occasion, people invite their friends and family and treat them to sweets. Everyone participates in a three-day festival that begins on the day before Sankranti and ends the day after. Many people take a dip in Ganga Sagar, the place where the river Ganges meets the Bay of Bengal.
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