The day of Poush Sankranti is dedicated to Bhagwan Surya. It also refers to a specific solar day in the Hindu calendar. On this auspicious day, the Sun enters the Capricorn sign or Makara Rashi which marks the end of the winter months and the beginning of longer days. Bengalis celebrate this day as Poush Sankranti with the grand Ganga Sagar Mela held annually in West Bengal.
In West Bengal, the festival of Poush Sankranti marks the harvest festival. In the month of Poush, all kinds of auspicious works are banned. But this month is considered very auspicious in terms of worship.
How is Poush Sankranti celebrated?
❀ On the day of Pousha Sankranti, devotees take a dip in the holy water of the Ganges and offer prayers to the Surya Bhagwan.
❀ On the day of the festival, a dish made of rice is offered as Prasad to the God.
❀ All sections of the society participate in the three days that begin a day before Sankranti and end the next day. Devi Lakshmi is usually worshiped on the day of Sankranti. Because of worshiping the idol in an open place, it is called Baharalakshmi Puja.
❀ In rural Bengal, peasant families clean their houses, make rice alpana or rangoli, hang small bunches of mango leaves and rice stalks to welcome Lakshmi. Lakshmi Puja is performed with rice grains symbolizing the goddess of wealth.
❀ Poush Sankranti, the last day of the Bengali month of Poush, consumes freshly harvested paddy and khejurer jaggery and date syrup in the form of Patli and a variety of traditional Bengali sweets made with rice flour, coconut, milk and the preparation of pitha is done.
Sankranti is known by different names in different states of India, but it is the same everywhere. It is a harvest festival and people offer prayers and special foods to their household deities, Devi Lakshmi or Bhagwan Vishnu.
| Related Name | poush sankranti, ganga sagar mela, harvest festival, bengali festival |
| Begins Tithi | Paush month Shukla Paksha Dwadashi Tithi |
| Reason | Harvest Festival |
| Celebrations | Bathing in Ganga ji, Pooja at home, Lakshmi Pooja |
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