Makar Sankranti: From Pan-India to Assam’s Magh Bihu

Lalit Nath

(lalitnath784@gmail.com)

Indian languages and arts have witnessed an extraordinary confluence of literature, customs, traditions, linguistic expressions, artworks, and heritage over thousands of years. The grand and colourful Indian culture has evolved through the harmonious blending of diverse ethnic groups such as Aryans, non-Aryans, Mongolians and Dravidians. Celebrated across India with vibrant diversity, multilingualism and varied regional rituals, Makar Sankranti exemplifies the nation’s rich cultural unity. Despite regional differences in traditions, the underlying essence of expressing gratitude for the symbolic transition of the Sun God transcends linguistic and regional boundaries, conveying a message of synthesis between Aryan and non-Aryan cultures in the history of Indian religion.

According to astrology, on Makar Sankranti, the Sun enters the Capricorn zodiac sign, marking the beginning of Uttarayan. Astrological texts describe Uttarayan as the day of the gods and Dakshinayan as their night. In the Akshara Brahma Yoga chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna states:

“Agnir jyotir ahah shuklah shan-masa uttarayanam  

Tatraprayata gacchanti brahma brahma-vido janah.”

This means that yogis who attain knowledge of Brahman and depart during the presence of the fire deity, the bright fortnight, or the six months of Uttarayan reach the supreme Brahman.

Makar Sankranti holds spiritual significance, with devotees taking holy dips in rivers like the Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri. In the Mahabharata, Bhishma chose this auspicious day to relinquish his body. As a pan-Indian solar festival in the Sanatan Hindu tradition, it invokes blessings from Surya Deva.

Indians have joyously celebrated Makar Sankranti since ancient times. Known as Pedda Panduga in Andhra Pradesh, Makar Sankranti in Karnataka, Telangana and Maharashtra, Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Uttarayan in Gujarat, Maghi in Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, Makkaravilakku in Kerala, Khichdi in Uttar Pradesh, Poush Sankranti in West Bengal and Magh Bihu or Bhogali Bihu in Assam.

Bihu scholar Leela Gogoi remarked, “Just as the Assamese people are a blend of Aryan, non-Aryan, Austric, and Mongolian ethnicities, Assamese culture is similarly syncretic. “ Bihu serves as the carrier of the rituals, beliefs, traditions and consciousness of various communities in Assam.

Bihu symbolizes the synthesis of ethnic and tribal groups. Agrarian societies live in close alignment with nature’s cycles, their fortunes tied to the seasons. In Assam, the Austric people first introduced systematic agriculture, laying the foundation for civilisation. Their culture centred on farming, cultivating rice alongside potatoes, mustard, gourds, brinjals, ginger, turmeric, betel nut and coconut. Later, Tibeto-Burman groups enriched this agricultural tradition. The Tai people, arriving in Assam in 1228 CE, further nourished it. Tribal communities celebrated harvest festivals in winter by lighting fires and dancing around them. These fires, originally for warmth, evolved into the modern Meji. Aryan influences later incorporated fire worship, transforming it into a unique ritual.

Scholars suggest that the pre-Vedic fire deity Magi, or Mejai, became associated with the Meji of Magh Bihu. Lighting the Meji bids farewell to winter, seeks communal well-being and prays for protection from the fire god’s wrath while enhancing vitality.

Magh Bihu embodies abundance through Meji, feasts and pithas, blending materiality and spirituality. The central ritual is lighting the Meji, a temporary hut built in open fields with hay, straw, thatch and bamboo.

In lower Assam, Mejis vary as Borpuji, Majupuji, or Sorupuji. Regional names include Bhelaghar in the southern and Mangaldai areas and Dheraghar near the Bharali river in Sonitpur. Symbolic Mejis also exist.

Preparations begin seven days prior, with youth constructing Bhelaghars. On Uruka Eve, communities feast overnight in these huts amid songs, dances and music. On Bihu day, elders bathe at dawn, offer dhup-dhuna, betel nut and naivedya on banana leaves, chant Hari’s name and ignite the Meji. They offer rice, sesame and lentils to the blazing fire while reciting, “Agni prajjvalitam vande chaturveda hutashanam  

Suvarnavarnam amalayam jyotirupaya te namah.”

People sit around the fire, distribute mah-prasad and hang half-burnt bamboo on fruit trees. Potatoes are roasted in the flames; a belief holds that skipping them leads to rebirth as a pig. Scientifically, the fire purifies the air and destroys germs.

Traditional games include buffalo fights, egg fights, nightingale fights and wrestling, which gained prominence during Ahom rule. Leela Gogoi described Bihu as “the indulgence of enjoyment, the glory of creation and the thrill of vision.”

Bhogali Bihu’s feasts unite Assamese society. Homes overflow with fresh harvests: rice, lentils, potatoes, mustard, sesame, gourds, radishes and more. Fishing in ponds and rivers forms an integral part.

A month ahead, women pound rice flour in dhekis, filling villages with rhythmic sounds. They prepare coconut laddoos, sesame laddoos, puffed rice sweets and pithas like til pitha, ghila pitha, bora pitha and tekeli pitha roasted over hay fires. The glowing Meji fire warms lives and livelihoods. 

Yet today, globalisation and consumerism threaten these traditions. Syncretic values shaped by Bihu beauty, harmony and humanity are eroding. Agricultural land shrinks due to floods, erosion and population growth, pushing farmers to other livelihoods. Bhelaghars fade, dhekis fall silent and traditional snacks risk extinction. Younger generations prefer packaged or fast foods like chow mein, pizza, and biryani.

Consumerism fosters endless desires, dissatisfaction and individualism, undermining Bihu’s communal spirit. In a materialistic world, human values like empathy and tolerance decline. While globalisation is inevitable in a changing society, we must preserve Bihu’s eternal traditions. Every generation should inspire the youth to keep this unique cultural heritage alive.