Every year Makar Sankranti is celebrated in the month of January to mark the winter solstice. It is also one of the largely celebrated Hindu festivals of India which is celebrated differently in various cultures but the common practice on the day of Makar Sankranti is flying colourful kites. This festival is dedicated to the Hindu religious sun god Surya.
Poush Sankranti, the last day of the Bengali month Poush, is also known as Makar Sankranti and marks the day for a harvest festival in Bengal. The freshly harvested paddy and the date palm syrup in the form of Khejurer Gur and Patali is used in the preparation of a variety of traditional Bengali sweets made with rice flour, coconut, milk and 'khejurer gur' (date palm jaggery) and known as 'Pitha'.
All sections of society participate in a three-day begins on the day before Sankranti and ends on the day after. The Goddess Lakshmi is usually worshipped on the day of Sankranti. It is called Baharlaxmi Puja as the idol is worshipped in an open place. With the coming of age, this humble harvest sweet has also seen a makeover. As much as the traditional pithes are in demand, people are also more inquisitive to try the newer variety.
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