Aug 30, 2024
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On January 14, 2022, the day of Makar Sankranti 2022, the Ministry of AYUSH will be hosting a ‘Surya Namaskar Demonstration’ programme for 75 lakh people from India and across the globe.
According to the ministry’s official Twitter account, this occasion is an opportunity to thank “Mother Nature for bestowing health, wealth, and happiness" upon us. Surya namaskar aka sun salutation yoga sequence shows our gratitude towards the sun and all that it does for the living beings.
This global event also intends to raise awareness about climate change and global warming, and how they are threatening us and our planet.
Makar Sankranti is one of the most widely celebrated festivals in India. This day marks the end of the winter solstice and the beginning of the harvest season in the country.
Almost every state or region has a different name for the festival and a unique way to ring in the harvest season. While Gujarat calls it Uttarayan and celebrates it by flying paper kites in the air, in Maharashtra people exchange sesame and jaggery laddus and say: "til gul ghya, goad goad bola" (eat sesame-jaggery [laddus] and speak sweetly).