– By Sweta Singh/Kathmandu/ All India Radio & Doordarshan
Makar Sankranti is celebrated across various regions and among ethnic communities in Nepal today. Also popularly called Maghi, the festival is especially observed by the people of the Tharu community in the southern plains and Kirats in the eastern hilly areas. The Tharus and Limbus also mark the festival as the beginning of their new year. The festival for limbus commenced in the morning today with people taking a bath and putting on a ‘tika’ mark of the wild yam on their foreheads. The Newar community in Kathmandu Valley and across the country also celebrates the festival by the elderly applying hot oil to the heads of youngsters in the family to bless them with a healthy life.
Likewise, the Magar community gathered today in Tundikhel of Kathmandu Valley to celebrate Maghe Sankranti. People gathered dancing, merrymaking and enjoying delicacies like chaku, ghee, yam, nuts and meat.
The Kiratis of Terhathum, Ilam, Panchthar, Dhankuta, Sankhuwasabha, and Taplejung celebrate their new year today with cultural dances and savouring delicacies like ghee, yam, khichadi and sweets like Chaku and sweets made of sesame and molasses. available during the season. They visit the homes of elderly people to take blessings and organise various dancing, singing and merrymaking activities on the occasion. Tharu savours their special cuisine called ghonghi (water snails) during this festival. They consume alcohol, fish, pork, and dhikri (special rice flour cuisine).
Many devotees thronged Barahakshetra located in eastern Nepal, to take a holy dip at the confluence of Koshi and Koka rivers where a grand fair is organised to mark the occasion. A large number of devotees thronged Devghat, Ridi, Panauti, Dolalghat and Kankai in Nepal. Devghat saw lakhs of devotees take a dip in the confluence of River Kali Gandaki and Trishuli today.