Maghe Sankranti (Makar Sankranti)

Maghe Sankranti, also known as “Makar Sankranti,” is a national festival celebrated on the first day of Magh (Nepali Date), which corresponds to the Gregorian calendar date generally falling in the middle of January. Nepali people celebrate it as the beginning of the auspicious month of Magh. The Magar and Tharu communities celebrate Maghi, also known as the New Year.

On this day, the sun is believed to be leaving its position in the southern hemisphere and starting its journey towards the Northern Hemisphere. In this sense, Maghe Sankranti is similar to solstice festivals in other religious traditions. Hindus celebrate this festival by taking a holy dip in the river and worship Lord Vishnu during the month by offering him pujas. Families gather and enjoy meals featuring sesame seed laddus, molasses, ghee, sweet potatoes, and yams, among other foods, with a focus on healthy eating. These meals are geared towards warming the body during cold days, providing good nourishment, a lifetime of disease prevention, and body purification.  In the Magar and Tharu community, people celebrate by gathering together as a family and friends, attending a community mela, dressing up in their traditional Magar and Tharu attire, and enjoying food, drinks, and festivities.

On this occasion, every year, the Taruka Village of Nuwakot also organizes a bullfight (Ox fight), believing that the one who dies on this day will directly go to heaven without suffering and be reborn.

This special festival is celebrated in various ways by different ethnic groups in Nepal. Forgetting all the sorrows and enmity, people celebrate this festival with a lot of joy and prosperity, which has helped to improve the quality of social harmony.