Maghe Sankranti - The Festival of Nepal.
Maghe Sankranti (Nepali:माघे सङ्क्रान्ति, Mathili:माघि, Nepal Bhasa:घ्यःचाकु संल्हु) is a Nepalese festival observed on the first of Magh in the Vikram Sambat (B.S) calendar bringing an end to the winter solstice containing month of Poush. Maghe Sankranti is similar to solstice festivals in other religious traditions. On the day of Maghe Sankranti, it is customary to wake up early in the morning, go to the river, bathe, and offer various foods to our ancestors. On that day, it is customary to fast from morning and break the fast only by eating the food brought by our sisters and daughters. On the day of Maghe Sankranti, it is customary to worship our sisters and daughters and give them dakshina.
According to the solar date, on the first day of the month of Magh, the sun enters the Capricorn zodiac sign. This day is the last day of the year in the northern hemisphere of the earth, with a long night and a low degree. On the day of Maghe Sankranti, the sun begins its journey from Capricorn to Cancer, and the day is long, the night is long and the temperature increases. Because the period of the sun's Uttarayan, i.e. the period from Maghe Sankranti to Sankranti, is called Ubeuli or summer season. Since ancient times, human societies around the world have not wanted to celebrate any festival or festival at the beginning of Ubeuli. Countries including East Asia, China, Korea, and Vietnam also celebrate festivals in different names and styles for the new year with the belief in positive power and increase in intelligence on the occasion of the Sun's Uttarayan. According to the English calendar, this also changes over time.
Style diversity and Traditions
Most communities in Nepal and India celebrate Maghe Sankranti under different names and beliefs. In the hill communities of Nepal, it is called ‘Maghe Sankranti’, in the Newar community of Kathmandu it is called ‘Hamo Salhu’ or ‘Ghyochaku Salhu’, and in the Tharu community of the Terai it is called ‘Maghi’. In the Himalayan communities of Nepal, ‘Lhosar’ is also celebrated as the New Year around the time of the sun’s Uttarayan. In most places in neighboring India, this festival is celebrated for three to four days under the name Makar Sankranti. Dahichiura, sesame sweets, khichri and kheer (in Punjab) are eaten. In Haryana, Himachal and Punjab it is called ‘Maghi’, in Tamil Nadu it is called ‘Pongal’, in Assam it is called ‘Magha Vihu’ or ‘Bhogali Vihu’ and in Kashmir it is called ‘Shishur Sayankrat’. In Thailand, it is celebrated as ‘Songkran’, in Cambodia as ‘Moha Sangkran’, in Laos as ‘Pi-Ma-Lakh’ and in Burma (Myanmar) as ‘Thingyan’. In the Hindu community, it is celebrated by bathing in rivers and lakes, performing pilgrimages, worshipping, and donating money according to special religious rituals. In places like Haridwar and Ujjain, the Kumbh Mela is held every twelve years, and in Prayag every year, Makar Mela is held on the river deltas of Bagmati, Shankhamul, Tekudobhan, Panauti, Dolalghat, Varahakshetra, Triveni Sangam, Saptagandi Sangam, Ridi, Devghat, etc. in Nepal. In the indigenous communities, the custom of celebrating Magheskrati is more cultural than religious.
Origin
Based on the style of celebrating Maghe Sankranti and the food dishes, it is understood that this festival developed in the hunting gathering age. The tradition of playing Dhanuwan on Maghe Sankranti, going to the forest and collecting tubers such as yam, githa-bhayakura reflects the hunting age, while the custom of uprooting barley sprouts (jhoplyani) that have grown in the fields and offering them to the ancestors, and the custom of people wearing silk and applying white tika of curd rice reflect the time when they had just entered the agricultural age from the hunting age. The tradition of playing Sisno on Maghe Sankranti by Magars from some parts of Rukum also indicates the hunting age. This game seems to have become a means of entertainment in the present day to reflect the incident of running through the Sisno forest while hunting a badel that came to eat the roots of Sisno.
Religious Aspect
Since this festival is not only related to any particular religious and ethnic community but is also interrelated with the beginning of a particular season, i.e. the beginning of the wet season, it is found that different places and communities have developed their own traditions and lifestyles to celebrate it. In Magar society, Maghe Sankranti is celebrated as the first festival of wet season or Minhamalhes (New Year). Although the Magars celebrate it mainly as a cultural festival, they have their own religious beliefs and beliefs that commemorate the worship of their ancestors. In Magar society, there is a tradition of worshiping their ancestors and local gods and goddesses first in every festival and ritual. After bathing in the morning of Maghe Sankranti and cleaning the house, incense, lamps, water, flags and offerings are offered to the ancestors and prayed for happiness, peace, prosperity and good health. The Magars of the Baglung Galkot Khuwakshetra place dried rice and ghee in the boat of their ancestors and place it on the roof near the fire. In the Magar society of the Gandaki catchment area, on the morning of Maghesakrati, the head of the household goes to the river or Pandhera to bathe and offers a handful of rice, meat dal, ginger pieces, Sidra, fruits and jandraksi in seven places on banana leaves along with incense lamps, which is called ‘Muthi Yahake’ (giving a handful) or ‘Di Dake’ (offering water).
The tradition of playing Sisno by Magar people from some parts of Rukum on Maghe Sankranti also indicates the hunter era. This game seems to have become a means of entertainment in the present day to reflect the incident of running through the Sisno jungle while hunting the Badel who came to eat the roots of Sisno.
In addition to individual or family ancestral worship, there is also a custom of all households in the village performing collective ancestral worship. In this worship called Kahrangcha Puja (big worship), pigs, goats and chickens are sacrificed at the ancestral shrine using the Jhankri method (Baral Magar, 2050: 125 and Thapa Magar, 2073: 9-10). In the Dolpali Magar society, it is customary to worship crows by placing dishes such as selroti, farsi, dalbhaat on the leaves of the Bhojpatra, throwing raanko and applying sikpati (tika made by mixing oil with cotton) to give blessings. In the Magar society of Rukum and Rolpa, girls and boys take a bath in the morning and worship the Pandhero, Dhurikhambo and Agena with barley leaves grown in the fields (barley leaves used as flowers) and white tika made from curd rice, before applying tika to all the members of the household. Then the girls are given misra (rice, yam, pea, lentils and money) (Budha Magar, 2074: 1). Before Maghe Sankranti, some young men and women of the village go to the pastures of the high Lekali region and pick flowers to offer to their ancestors. The Saru Magars of Dolakhatir organize a four-day Kulpuja program using the Lamajhankri method on the occasion of Maghe Sankranti and invite guests and eat. Some Magars of Rukum are also found to perform Kulpuja on the day of Maghe Sankranti (Shris Magar 2067: 60). Such rituals performed on the day of Maghe Sankranti can be considered as a religious tradition and belief of the Magar people who worship ancestors and nature.
Social Aspects
On the occasion of Maghe Sankranti, activities such as gathering in the neighborhood and slaughtering goats, pigs, and cows for meat, going to the forest to dig yams and pick leaves and bring them to make dunatapari, meeting relatives and eating delicious dishes make social relations sweeter. In Maghar society, Maghe Sankranti is celebrated with special emphasis on this social aspect. It is a tradition for relatives to remember their daughters who have married, and for those who do not have their own daughters to invite their brothers and sisters to feed them a sweet dish and give them misra. In Maghar society, the special dish of Maghe Sankranti is called misra. In Bihar, India, the dish made of lentils, rice, cauliflower, carrots, and potatoes eaten during Maghe Sankranti is called khichri, while in Kumaon, the mixed dish of lentils and rice is called khichdi. In most communities of Nepal, a dish made from a mixture of meat, lentils, rice, ginger, salt, turmeric, and ghee is called Khichdi. In the Magar society of Rukum-Rolpa region, the special dish and dakshina (tarul, pindalu, sakharkhand, roti, rice, beans, money, etc.) given to the bride during Magheskrati is called Misra. In the Magar society of Baglung-Galkot-Khuwakshetra, the Misra given to the girl also includes Sukuti. On the day of Sankranti in Rukum-Rolpa, the brothers take a bath in the morning and without eating anything, take Misra to the house of the married girl. On the second day of Magh, the girls take Lisak (alcohol, etc.) and eat with their families. On the same day, it is customary for girls to go to Janya (forest feast). If it is not convenient to meet the married girl during Maghe Sankranti, it is customary to worship the girl, that is, give Misra and have her eat. The Magars of Argal, Hill, Tara and Amarbhumi regions of the Baglung Galkot Khuwakshetra celebrate the first day of Magh as Jethi Sankranti and the second day as Kanchhi Sankranti. The girls who are unable to come on Jethi Sankranti are invited on Kanchhi Sankranti. After the girls are fed, they are sent away with misra, but for girls who are unable to come to their families for some reason, misra is sent home. The main dishes of Maghe Sankranti are khichdi, yam, pidalu, meat, alcohol, etc. However, the Magar community in Argal, Baglung, Rukum-Rolpa and some parts of Rukum-Rolpa does not eat khichdi. In some Magar villages of the Gandaki catchment area, it is customary to eat Deuli Bara, i.e. Bara made from meat or Masyang (Siltung), khichdi made from nine types of grains, yam, sugarcane, etc. (Thapa Magar, 2073: 10). It is used as the main dish during Maghe Sankranti because tubers like yam, yam, ginger, and legumes like meat and beans are prepared. It is also believed that eating yam during Maghe Sankranti will cleanse the body of diseases and prevent disease throughout the year.
Cultural Aspects
The main dimension of Maghe Sankranti celebrated in the Magar community is the social and cultural aspect. Since the Magars are more entertainment-oriented by nature, songs, music, dance and games are given first priority. During this festival, people entertain themselves by shooting arrows with guns or bows or slingshots. In the Magar community of Rukum-Rolpa, the practice of shooting arrows begins on Poush 15 by performing the Namsuin (shooting arrows) method. There is a tradition of gathering at a place from the third to the fifth day of Magh and shooting arrows. In the local Magar language, arrows are shot at a round mark made on a wooden board with a bow and arrow called Lamui and Kothle. While shooting arrows, the person who hits the target is carried and carried while playing a musical instrument and singing the song ‘Sambo Sambo Raja, Sambo Sambo Rani’. In this game, the sister-in-law or other young woman of the young man shooting arrows bets on items such as handkerchiefs, bags, and pots. The winner takes the goods, but later adds food, money and other items to the goods and returns them in the form of a basket. During the taro shooting game, young people sing and dance (Thapa Magar, 2073: 11). Sisno is also played in some parts of Rukum. Dolpali Magars shoot taro, race horses and fly butterflies on the occasion of Maghe Sankranti. In Nisi Bhalkot of Baglung, a puppet dance (sword dance) is performed to the tune of Panchebaja's taluk, while in Nisi Kapa, a dance called Kaipanach, in which a person wears a mukundo and jumps around the barley fields and dances asking for donations, is performed.
During Tihar, the custom of going from house to house to receive donations, like playing Bhailo Deusi, is also practiced in Rukum and Rolpa. After eating Misra, girls who have come to their mother's house and other girls from the village gather at one place and go to each house to play Masyandra. During this, after hanging the jhoplyani on the door, they say in unison whether they have received the masyandra or not, and then enter the house and give the members of the house white tika and jhoplyani. They are given food such as flour, rice, salt, oil, meat, etc., and money. The young people go to the forest to hunt a bird called a bhikura. Those who play the masyandra and hunt gather on the banks of the river near the payak in the evening, cook the food they have collected, eat it, and make and burn cloth effigies, which are called ‘putali hipne’ in the local Magar language. This custom of collecting donations like in Bhaili is also found in the Gandaki catchment area.
On the evening before Magheskrati (the evening of Pus Masant), when bara is cooked in every household, young men and women form groups and go to ask for bara, which is called Ohyan bara geske (playing). A long stick is tied to one end and inserted through the door into the place where the bara is being cooked. During this, one person makes a sound like a child crying, ‘Oh, oh,’ and the other says, as if he is being fed, ‘Don’t cry, my child, you are hungry; the householder will give you bara.’ Bara, yam, sugarcane, alcohol, meat, etc. are placed in the basket. The contents of the basket are covered with a sheet so that no one can remove them. The food collected by going from house to house throughout the night is eaten and enjoyed by sitting in one of the houses, singing and dancing. In Maghar settlements including East Palpa and Tanahun, the Kauha dance is formally started on the same day as Magheskra. In the Kauha, the Guruwale starts the song, the participating men play the turban, the young men play the kharinjadi, and the Kanya (unmarried girls) dance. When the bond is taken in the Kauha dance, the Lama Jhankri and the priests are seen. The girls dance and touch the heads of the people who have come to see them, and the eyes are released. Then the dance is performed in a free manner, singing songs. In the Magar community of Rukum-Rolpa, the Damfya Syai (Jhoralni or Jora Syai) dance song based on the story of Danfe and Mayur is performed on the day of Magheskrati (Baral Magar, 2050: 118, Acharya, 2068: 15 and Thapa Magar, 2073: 10).
Human-Environmental Images of Magheskrati
Since the Saune Sankranti, the Sun Dakshinayan (Undheuli Yam) and the Maghe Sankranti, the Sun Uttarayan (Undheuli Yam) are cultural reflections of the festival, local eco-friendly customs and beliefs have developed in the way these festivals are celebrated. As the temperature increases after Maghe Sankranti, it is understood that the Dolpali Magars have introduced the custom of throwing firecrackers and worshipping crows as a symbol of the end of the time to sit around the fire. Since harmful creatures such as flies, mosquitoes, snakes, scorpions, and rats become active in the summer season and garbage from the house, yard, and garden causes diseases, worship is called upon to worship the crows, which help in cleaning the surroundings of human settlements. Since the temperature has been decreasing since the Saune Sankranti, the Dolpali Magars worship the firecrackers, a symbol of warmth, by lighting them around the roof of the house. The game of horse racing also seems to indicate that it is time to migrate from the valley to the lake. The use of Jopliani also has an environmental meaning.
For the Magars living in the high mountainous regions, barley is the oldest indigenous grain crop, so it is used in auspicious occasions and festivals. Although the barley stalks used as flowers during the harvest festival of Dasya (Dasin), celebrated at the beginning of the rainy season, can be grown in the corners of the house, it is not possible to grow the stalks in the extreme cold after the first fortnight of the month of Pus. Therefore, the Jopliani (barley stalks) grown in the fields are used in the Magheskrati festival. Since culture develops as humans continue to live by interacting with the environment around them, festivals, which are important parts of culture, also reflect the influence or image of the local geography, environment, and flora and fauna there. That is the basis of originality and distinctive identity. Such unique and distinctive characteristics are reflected in the folk songs, dances and music performed by the Magar people on the occasion of Magheskrati. The Magars begin the Umbeuli by blowing out the Madal in the Sauneskrati and conclude the narrative dance song Maruni with the Magheskrati and formally begin the Kauha dance. The custom of burning the effigy during Magheskrati reflects the end of the Maruni, in which men dance in the guise of women. Since Madal is closed from Magheskrati onwards, the dance songs Kauha and Ghatu without Madal are performed during Umbeuli. The creation of dances, songs and music performed during Umbeuli and Umbeuli are also adapted to nature and the weather. Since it is winter in Undheuli, men's dances that involve singing, drumming, and jumping have been created, while in Udheuli, which is the summer season, when new leaves grow, birds hatch, and grain seeds are sown in the fields, dances of the gentle and peaceful nature of women, the symbols of creation, are presented. These images, beliefs, and styles reflect the originality and historicity of the Magheskrati celebrated by the Magar people.
