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You are here: Home >> Holidays >> Sankranti >> The Best Sankranti Customs, Crafts & Recipe Ideas to make with Kids

The Best Sankranti Customs, Crafts & Recipe Ideas to make with Kids

Shruti Acharya | January 8, 2019 | 9 Comments

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Makar Sankranti is an important festival of the Hindus. Read about the significance of Makar Sankranti, the traditions and rituals of this festival. Find out why it is celebrated? the traditional recipes, the crafts to keep kids involved and informed in a fun way.

Contents hide
Check out our Sankranti Popup Kite Card Video Tutorial
Sankranti Customs, Crafts & Recipe Ideas
Why do we celebrate Sankranti?
When is Sankranti in 2020?
What is the importance of Sankranti?
Why is it called Makar Sankranti?
Sankranti Customs
How to celebrate Bor Nahan,
Sankranti Recipes
Why do we fly kites on Makar Sankranti?
Books about Kites for Makar Sankranti
Sankranti Crafts & Activities to do with kids
Sankranti Rangoli / Muggulu

Check out our Sankranti Popup Kite Card Video Tutorial

Sankranti Customs, Crafts & Recipe Ideas

Ultimate guide to Sankranti Customs, Crafts & Recipe Ideas - Makar Sankranti is the Harvest festival of the Hindus. Read about the significance of Makar Sankranti, the traditions and rituals of this festival - Bornahan, Lohri. Find out why it is celebrated? the traditional recipes - Til Gul, Pongal, Kite festival, Kite crafts to keep kids involved and informed in a fun way.

Why do we celebrate Sankranti?

The festival Makara Sankranthi is a harvest festival for Hindus and is quite popular in the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra & Tamilnadu and celebrated mid-January every year.

This is the day when the Sun transitions from winter to Spring. In Northern India too, Lohri is celebrated with great pomp. The day before Sankranti is called Bhogi and this is when people discard old stuff and habits and concentrate on new things causing change or transformation. Now isn’t that a fab way to start the year?

When is Sankranti in 2020?

Sankranti falls on 15th January 2020.

What is the importance of Sankranti?

The festival marks the beginning of a six months auspicious period for Hindus known as Uttarayana period. 

Why is it called Makar Sankranti?

On Makar Sankranti, the Sun enters the sun-sign of Capricorn or Makara (the Indian rashi). Therefore the ‘Makar’ in the name. The word ‘Sankranti’ signifies the movement of the sun from one zodiac sign to another. Thus, the name of the festival literally means the movement of the sun into Capricorn.

Sankranti Customs

At dawn, people light a bonfire called Bhogi. In my childhood, we would watch as street corners turned into mini bonfires.

How to celebrate Bor Nahan,

Among all these traditions, people of Maharashtra wear black on this particular day. Though black is considered inauspicious by Hindu ideologies it is kind of customary to wear black on this day. … There is a scientific reason people wear black since the color absorbs the cold and keeps the body warm from within. At home,  Newly married couples & little kids under age 5 are dressed in a new black dress and decorated with sugar ornaments.  

Here is a pic of lil p’s  Sankranti attire.

Bornahan - Sugar ornaments for sankranti - from the post Ultimate guide to Sankranti

A black & orange lehenga with sugar ball ornaments – They are actually edible! .. Bracelets, armbands, necklace, mukut, and crowns. They typically dress up as Lord  Krishna 

sankranti - dress

We had a bornahan function for Lil P and all her friends when she was younger .. I had ordered the sugar ornaments from Pune .. about 10 sets. and we showered the little ones with “ber” , sugar candies , murmure (puffed rice) and sugar cane pieces.. This is supposed to bring good luck & health to them .. the black is to ward off all evil.  It was a fun event at home.

sankranti - bornahan 618
Lil p enjoyed the treasure she accumulated.. err Ignore the mess. We had about 10 kids and each was dressed in sugar ornaments & showered with ber & murmura. 
Sankranti-bornahan

Now sankranti also meant going from house to house and sharing Til (sesame seed) laddos , and tilgul.. a combination of sugar, jaggery & til .. and saying Til Gul ghya god god bola .. and yellu bella togondu yellu bella haage iru.. roughly translated it meant,-Take this sweet offering of mine and hope you stay as sweet as ever..  Sankranti marked the transition from cold winters to happy spring.. so eating til increased the body heat.. 

 Sankranti Recipes

Like every festive celebration, it is a time when mouth-watering traditional delicacies are lined up.  Each state has its own special dishes, but what is common all over the country is Sesame or til – this aromatic seed is used to prepare a number of delicacies, mostly sweets.

Til_Laddu from the post - Ultimate guide to Sankranti Customs, Crafts & Recipe Ideas - Makar Sankranti is the Harvest festival of the Hindus. Read about the significance of Makar Sankranti, the traditions and rituals of this festival - Bornahan, Lohri. Find out why it is celebrated? the traditional recipes - Til Gul, Pongal, Kite festival, Kite crafts to keep kids involved and informed in a fun way.

Til laddoos: Til or sesame is the harvest of the season and is eaten a lot during this time. Til laddoos are a traditional sweet delicacy that almost every Indian household prepares. The famous Maharashtrian saying – “til gud ghya, aani godh godh bola” – translates as – eat sesame-jaggery ladoos and speak sweet words. Get the recipe here.

Paatishaapta: Bengalis make Paatishaapta, a sweet crepe or pancake that’s stuffed with a mix of khoya, coconut and date palm jaggery. Get the recipe here.

Rewari: Rewari is a hard candy like sweet made with sesame that’s coated with sugar. It is a popular dish in Punjab eaten during the time of Makar Sankranti. Find the recipe here.

 

Sankranti Special Spread By Sailu’s kitchen..

Sankranti-Recipes from the post - Ultimate guide to Sankranti Customs, Crafts & Recipe Ideas - Makar Sankranti is the Harvest festival of the Hindus. Read about the significance of Makar Sankranti, the traditions and rituals of this festival - Bornahan, Lohri. Find out why it is celebrated? the traditional recipes - Til Gul, Pongal, Kite festival, Kite crafts to keep kids involved and informed in a fun way.

Why do we fly kites on Makar Sankranti?

From the morning of Makar Sankranti, colourful kites can be seen wafting in the sky and this continues throughout Uttarayan. 

Of course, the symbolism of kites flying up to the heavens during Makar Sankranti and Uttarayan could be deeper. Many consider flying kites high up into the sky as a form of thanksgiving to the gods. It is also considered as a signal for their awakening as it is generally believed the gods have been taking rest and sleeping for the last six months, and now it’s time to wake up. The clear, blue sky during Makar Sankranti and Uttarayan also present an ideal scenario to fly kites.

Over the years, the tradition of flying kites has been taken very seriously. In places like Gujarat, flying kites and competing with others is regarded as one of its biggest festivals, the annual International Kite Festival (Uttarayan), the preparations for which begin months in advance.

Books about Kites for Makar Sankranti

boLet your dreams soar and fly in the spirit of the season with these lovely books about kites - perfect for Makar Sankranit and International Kite Day!oks-about-kites-for-makar-sankranti

In the days leading up to the festival, spend some time getting into the spirit with these lovely books about kites. Most of them are heartwarming tales based on simple people and teach some life lessons while being entertaining at the same time!

Sankranti Crafts & Activities to do with kids 

Here are some awesome Kite crafts For you to try out with your kids.. Click on the image to take you to our post 

15 Simple Kite Craft Ideas for kids  15 Simple Kite Craft Ideas for kids - Homemade ideas using paper bags, plastic, Straw & some that really fly! Perfect for Sankranti Kite Flying

Here are some more crafts to make with your kids

Edible Kite Cookies perfect for Sankranti

 We made paper kites last year that was a BIG hit! and the kids loved it. This year we decided to make our kites and eat them too! Yum Yum! Miss P can’t stop giggling about it.  These edible kites are really easy to make and lots of fun for the kids to eat on Sankranti along with all the traditional sweets and its ready in 5 min

DIY Quilled Sankranti Greeting Card

Make a handmade greeting card this Sankranti, a one-of-its-kind Quilled Sankranti Greeting Card! Our project today features a cute little birdie holding in it’s beak the best part of Sankranti – a kite!

Bring back the charm of a handmade card with this DIY Quilled Sankranti Greeting Card that features a cute little bird and a colorful kite!

If for some reason, you can’t fly your kite outside, you can still have your very own kite celebration at home! And to this end, we have an all-new craft for you – a DIY Kite Mobile! This is a super-easy craft that young kids can do on their own,

Sankranti Craft for Kids- DIY Paper Kite Mobile

 

Sankranti Decoration at house done by a very talented person  Chithra’s Creativity. It depicts a village house, its backyard trees, the new pot in which pongal is cooked, also the lady of the house.

Sankranto Decor - Ultimate guide to Sankranti Customs, Crafts & Recipe Ideas - Makar Sankranti is the Harvest festival of the Hindus. Read about the significance of Makar Sankranti, the traditions and rituals of this festival - Bornahan, Lohri. Find out why it is celebrated? the traditional recipes - Til Gul, Pongal, Kite festival, Kite crafts to keep kids involved and informed in a fun way.

Handmade colorful card by Chinnu’s Crafts
Sankranti card - Ultimate guide to Sankranti Customs, Crafts & Recipe Ideas - Makar Sankranti is the Harvest festival of the Hindus. Read about the significance of Makar Sankranti, the traditions and rituals of this festival - Bornahan, Lohri. Find out why it is celebrated? the traditional recipes - Til Gul, Pongal, Kite festival, Kite crafts to keep kids involved and informed in a fun way.
 
 
A beautiful quilled card for Pongal at Day Dreams
 
 

Sankranti Rangoli / Muggulu

Indian rangoli is an unique art work which is practised throughout India. All houses are adorned with these beautiful rangoli designs, rangoli kolams during Pongal & Sankranti. Here are a few designs to try

I love this simple kite design put by Arthi outside her home – Isn’t that a cute project for you to make with your kids?

Sankranto muggulu or rangoli ideas - Ultimate guide to Sankranti Customs, Crafts & Recipe Ideas - Makar Sankranti is the Harvest festival of the Hindus. Read about the significance of Makar Sankranti, the traditions and rituals of this festival - Bornahan, Lohri. Find out why it is celebrated? the traditional recipes - Til Gul, Pongal, Kite festival, Kite crafts to keep kids involved and informed in a fun way.

Or try a Natural rangoli using leaves & flower petals. Looks fabulous & then can be used for compost. Zero waste.

Pookolam - Spring Flower peacock rangoli Ultimate guide to Sankranti Customs, Crafts & Recipe Ideas - Makar Sankranti is the Harvest festival of the Hindus. Read about the significance of Makar Sankranti, the traditions and rituals of this festival - Bornahan, Lohri. Find out why it is celebrated? the traditional recipes - Til Gul, Pongal, Kite festival, Kite crafts to keep kids involved and informed in a fun way.

We have many tutorials on how to put a rangoli under 2 minutes. Check out our post on Sankranti Rangoli Ideas

Easy rangoli

Here’s a simple Sankranti special video on how to put rangoli

 That’s all folks. Let us know what you think.

Ultimate guide to Sankranti Customs, Crafts & Recipe Ideas - Makar Sankranti is the Harvest festival of the Hindus. Read about the significance of Makar Sankranti, the traditions and rituals of this festival - Bornahan, Lohri. Find out why it is celebrated? the traditional recipes - Til Gul, Pongal, Kite festival, Kite crafts to keep kids involved and informed in a fun way.

How are you celebrating sankranti.. what special customs do you follow? What food did you make special for Sankranti.. Leave your comments / post links 🙂

Ultimate guide to Sankranti Customs, Crafts & Recipe Ideas - Makar Sankranti is the Harvest festival of the Hindus. Read about the significance of Makar Sankranti, the traditions and rituals of this festival - Bornahan, Lohri. Find out why it is celebrated? the traditional recipes - Til Gul, Pongal, Kite festival, Kite crafts to keep kids involved and informed in a fun way.

 

Filed Under: Craft Ideas, Exotic India, Festivals of India, Latest Posts, Sankranti Tagged With: India Crafts, Sankranti Festival craft, Simple paper collage ideas for kids

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About Shruti Acharya

Shruti is a writer, photographer, DIY lover, passionate homemaker, and the chief dreamer at ArtsyCraftsyMom.com . Shruti lives in Bangalore, India with her husband and daughter. She loves showcasing fun art activities, crafts for kids, celebrations, childrens books & all the craziness that is India.

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DIY Popup Kite Card for Sankranti »

Comments

  1. Nidhi J says

    January 16, 2014 at 12:42 pm

    Great post Shruti. Thanks for including my recipe. Loved the kite Rangoli and mini kites

    Reply
  2. Roopa says

    January 16, 2014 at 6:40 pm

    Great post with many creative ideas! Mind sharing where in Blore are the sugar jewels available? Thanks

    Reply
  3. Veens says

    January 18, 2014 at 1:23 am

    What a lovely post. My grand plans for Sankranti (and a post for the same) were a total flop, as Aarya took to a stomach bug. Today was the first day in almost a week that he actually felt better and went to school 🙂 But I will bookmark this for next Sankranti 🙂

    Reply
  4. Bikram says

    January 5, 2015 at 2:08 pm

    beautiful pictures ..

    In punjab we have lohri but i thought that was on 13th jan..

    a very happy Sankranti to you tooo and everyone around you …

    god bless the little one

    Reply
    • ArtsyCraftsyMom says

      January 5, 2015 at 3:00 pm

      Thank you Bikram. Let me check Lohri date

      Reply
  5. Nirmitha says

    January 8, 2017 at 7:11 am

    Hello Shruti,
    I love your blog and everything you write! I am from Bangalore and now live in Los Angeles with my husband and 2 kids! You have explained the festival so aptly and I am excited to explain this to my daughter who is 5! We celebrated with sakre acchu and kaboo last year when we were in Bangalore!
    Thanks for sharing all your amazing ideas!

    Reply
  6. Geetha @ LaundroKart.com says

    May 4, 2017 at 5:06 pm

    Lovely post with all creative ideas…Thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply
  7. Seema says

    December 26, 2017 at 5:48 pm

    Hi Dear,
    Could you kindly let me know from where you got the tigul jewellalry. I am in Bangalore , can I book online . Please share the address.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 5 Heart Warming Books About Kites for Makar Sankranti says:
    January 7, 2017 at 10:41 am

    […] the one common thing is the enthusiasm with which everyone celebrates, especially with some unique Sankranti customs, crafts and recipes! All the yummy laddus and vadas are there as are present during other Indian festivals, but a […]

    Reply

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