Maghe Sankranti: Celebrating Traditions and New Beginnings

January 14, 2025
maghe sankranti

Today, the Tharu community and other communities across the country are celebrating Maghe Sankranti. Since the Sun transitions from Sagittarius to Capricorn on this day, the first day of the Nepali month of Magh is called Makar (Maghe) Sankranti.

As Uttarayan begins today, the days start to become longer, and the nights shorter. It is believed that bathing, chanting, meditation, and charity performed on the day Uttarayan begins are virtuous deeds. Today, devotees gather at Devghat, Trishuli, Kali Gandaki, Bagmati, Indrawati, Tribeni, Ridhi, and other places for the traditional Magh bathing. Special fairs are also organized at these locations.

In the Terai region, Magh 1 is celebrated as the Nahan festival, a day dedicated to bathing. People in this region hold the belief that bathing on this day is mandatory.

Early in the morning, devotees visit pilgrimage sites, take a ritual bath, and donate sesame seeds, which is considered as meritorious as donating gold. According to religious scholar Prof. Dr. Devmani Bhattarai, as cited by Rastriya Samachar Samiti (RSS), the Dharma Sindhu scripture states that those who do not eat dishes made from clarified butter (ghee), molasses (chaku), sesame, and lentil-rice (khichadi), or fail to bathe, donate, or meditate on Maghe Sankranti, may suffer from illness throughout their lives.

The period after Uttarayan is considered auspicious for performing virtuous deeds. It is believed that those who bathe, donate, fast, and meditate on this day receive blessings and see their wishes fulfilled. Traditional foods like ghee, chaku, sesame-based dishes, yam, spinach, and khichadi are eaten on Maghe Sankranti. These foods are known to provide warmth during winter and are consumed to stay warm during this chilly season. According to Ayurvedic practitioners, these foods help eliminate physical imbalances (tridosha). There is also a tradition of cooking yam on the last day of the month of Poush and eating it in Magh, as reflected in the saying, “Cooked in Poush, eaten in Magh.”

Prof. Dr. Bhattarai also mentioned the belief that massaging the body with sesame oil on this day helps remove impurities from the body. Ayurveda supports the practice of sesame oil massage to strengthen and maintain the health of nerves, bones, and muscles.

Death occurring after the Sun enters Uttarayan is considered auspicious. For instance, Bhishma, who had the boon of choosing the time of his death in the Mahabharata, waited until Uttarayan to leave his mortal body. A fair is also organized today at Til Madhav Narayansthan in Bhaktapur.

Magh month holds significant importance due to the observance of Magh Mahatmya. The recitation of the religious text Swasthani Brata Katha, which narrates a dialogue between Kumar and Agastya in the Kedarkhand of Skanda Purana, begins on the full moon day of Poush and continues until the full moon day of Magh. According to the Nepal Calendar Determination Committee, the recitation of Swasthani Brata Katha began this year on Poush 29. During this month-long observance, devotees bathe daily, worship Lord Shiva at noon, and perform other religious rituals. Hence, this period is also referred to as Magh Snan.

On the occasion of Maghe Sankranti, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development has decided to celebrate National Agro-Biodiversity Day. This day is observed to highlight the consumption of various root crops like yam, sweet potato, taro, and wild yams, which are traditionally eaten on this day.

Tharu Community Celebrates Maghi Festival as New Year

The Tharu community celebrates Magh 1 as Maghi, their New Year, with great enthusiasm. They mark the day with morning baths, donations, feasting, and merrymaking.

Magh 1, the day when the Sun transitions into Capricorn, is the New Year for the Tharu community. Known by various names depending on the region, this festival is celebrated in the Terai for five days. Tharu people living in the capital and other areas also celebrate this festival with fervor. The community has a tradition of taking a morning bath in water bodies, performing worship rituals, and receiving blessings from elders.

In the evening, they light a large log of wood at home and gather around it with family and guests to enjoy meals and festivities. From this day, they observe five days of feeling liberated.

The Tharu community incorporates sesame in six ways on this day: bathing with sesame water, applying sesame oil, offering sesame water to ancestors, performing sesame fire rituals, donating sesame, and eating sesame-based foods. It is believed that applying sesame oil increases body heat, helping to counteract the winter chill.

On this day, the community also selects their village chief through mutual consensus. Positions such as priests, shamans, watchmen, farm workers, and household assistants are democratically elected for the year. In some places, elections are held if consensus cannot be reached. Agreements made on this day are considered binding for the year and are referred to as “Maghi Dewani.” The Tharu community does not require an auspicious time for marriages, journeys, or relocations during the Maghi period.

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