This time of the year people living in different parts of India celebrate harvest of crops. They christened the festival in different ways. It is called Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Makar Sankranthi in Andhra Pradesh, Uttarayan in western India, Lohri in Punjab and Haryana, and Bihu in Assam. Typically the festival is noted from January 13th to January 15th of every year.
In 1966, Maulana Karenga created a new holiday after traditional African harvest festivals, Kwanzaa (Swahili – ‘first fruits’), which is celebrated from December 26th to January 1st. It was originally intended as a nonreligious celebration of family and social values. Each day of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of seven principles: unity, self-determination, collective responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.
It is interesting to see how two different countries and cultures follow the same pattern of holidays, festivities and nonreligious celebrations.
CATEGORY:
Harvest Festival, Kwanzaa, Pongal, Makar Sankranthi, Uttarayan, Lohri, Bihu
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