(Image source from: India Celebrates Makara Sankranti)

India kicks off it's biggest harvest  festival of the year with Makara Sankranti today. Also, celebrated as Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Lohri in Punjab and Maghi in Rajasthan and Gujarat, the festival of prosperity and positivity heralds the beginning of an auspicious start to the new year.

A major Hindu festival, Makara Sankranti, which invariably falls on the 14th day of the first month every year, also marks the beginning of Sun's movement away from the Tropic of Capricorn  to the northern part of the globe. It also augurs the arrival of Spring in India, a season that bodes well for the country.

To Hindus, Makara Sankranti signifies an exit from life's darkness  and delusion to a journey to the brighter side of life, filled with purity, positivity and wisdom, just like the Sun.

In a country like India, which is the home to different religions and cultures, the occasion of Makara Sankranti calls for unique celebrations.

While women in Maharashtra wear black saris and ornamental jewelry  and exchange 'Til Gul' on this day, people in Tamil Nadu celebrate their Pongal by cooking sweet rice and other delicacies, and screaming 'Pongal'. Karnataka celebrates its 'Sankranti' with sweets and by exchanging a powder of neem leaves and jaggery.

In northern parts of the country like Punjab, 'Lohri' is brought on with music, dance, prayers and feast, while Assam calls on the festivities with bonfire nights, sumptuous feasts, delectable sweets, worshipping cows and their trademark 'Bihu' dance.

One of the major attractions of this festivity, besides fun, frolic and feasting, is kite flying. People fly kites on this day and spread the message 'Rise higher like a kite".

This festival goes on for ten days with feasting, boat races, songs and dance being major part of the festival. With drum-rolls, sweets and a positive outlook towards life, Makar Sankaranti is a festival that is celebrated with zest across the country.

AW: Suchorita Choudhury