Parmeshwar Devkota

This year’s Maghe Sankranti, also known as Makar Sakranti, was celebrated across Nepal on Saturday. This is the festival that promotes travel among people. In Tharuhat, the festival is quite popular as Maghi. This is a main harvest festival.
It goes without saying that for today’s prosperous, culturally rich and knowledgeable society, our forefathers had used their utmost knowledge and made tremendous physical efforts. They had utilised their conscience, talent and physical strength to the optimum level for creating a comfortable world. The Sumerian civilisation was one of them. Though this civilisation is dead now, it had flourished in between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers around 7000 BCE. It had made guidelines to the whole human civilisation globally.

The meticulous people developed a sixty base system which specifies that there are 60 seconds in one minute; 60 minutes make one hour and 360 degrees circular angle for the accurate measurement. They made seven days for a week and around 30 days for a month, and developed the sophisticated mathematical system to map even the sky. The Sumerians were the first conscious people who knew one earth year for the first time. They divided one earth year into 12 parts or 12 months based on the prominent constellations: Aris, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagisturas, Capricorn, Aquartus and Pisces. The constellations are called a zodiac system now. So, we should be obliged to them for their great endeavours.

Among the 12 zodiac parts, the Capricorn is the 10th one which is known by various names in different places and cultures. In Hindu astrological system, it is called Makar Sankranti. This is the first day of the month of Magh. On this day, the Sun enters into Capricorn zodiac heralding a change in seasons from cold to hot. The prominent indigenous communities of Nepal- Tharus and Magars- celebrate this festival with great fanfare. The Tharu community considers this day as the first day of the new year while other communities observe it as the main festival after a long gap of festivals since Dashain and Tihar. Being the first day of the year, the Tharu community people in Nepal not only rejoice this day with music and dance but also use it for giving a new social order and shift in the responsibilities among the members of the society.

They select chieftain and other rank and file on this day and enjoy traditional cuisines. Similarly, Bhramins and Kshetris visit sacred rivers and take a holy bath. They also give alms to the poor, religious gifts to priests and invite their married daughters, their spouses and children to offer tasty foods. Yam, sweet potato, a variety of sweets, yogurt and sel roti are the first items to be given to the guests after offering tika and daxina. Scientifically, the Maghe Sakranti marks the beginning of warmer and longer days.

The rituals performed during this festival may vary from one community to another. But the Maghe Sankranti gives special message to mankind that it is the only festival which inspires us to start travel.
Pundit Narayan Paudel, who hails from Sindhupalchowk, explains in detail that in the Treta Yuga, Lord Ram Chandra had initiated travel on this day. Likewise, the Mahabharat epic accounts the travel by Yudhisthira in the Dwapara Yuga, and the most irate and furious saint Durbasha, even having severe leg injuries, had travelled from place to place to satisfy his wish from this very day. So, the Maghe Sankranti disseminates the message, especially for the elderlies, that they should visit the places they like.