Sankranti, Lohri, Pongal: 6 Ways For An Awesome Festival This Week!

These 6 beautiful Sankranti tips set the mood for a wonderful celebration with loved ones this week.

I have yet to find a festival that is celebrated with as much fervorand gaiety all over India as Sankranti. No matter which part of the country you are from, this is one occasion that gets everyone in a celebratory mood.It’s also one of those festivals that kids, no matter what age, love to celebrate.

With the focus on food and fun, the festival has always been a family favorite.

This also means that we look more closely at our homes and make that extra effort to prepare our abodes as we welcome the spring season.

Here are my Sankranti tips for a planning a sparkling celebration with your kids.

1. Sort your heavy woollens out

Since Sankranti heralds the arrival of spring the bulky sweaters and coats get packed away. North India emerges from a layer of wool and we all start to feel lighter. Since the sun is plentiful, it is the right time to sun the woolens before storing them away for another year. Get your kids involved and make it a game so they have fun while they sort.

2. Spring clean the kitchen and #SayNoToFoodPoisoning

While most people clean their kitchen daily, just the usual dusting, mopping and scrubbing is not enough.Insects, especially cockroaches love to feed on the fallen crumbs, or crawl on the utensilsovernight, spreading disease causing bacteria and germs. Consuming anything in these contaminated utensils will cause food poisoning. Therefore this festive season make sure you don’t just clean the kitchen but also keep the kitchen super safe from food poisoning by spraying LAL HIT in the nooks and corners of the kitchen. I comes with a unique deep reach nozzle that can kill even the hidden cockroaches. Make sure you say no to food poisoning spread by cockroaches!

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3. Visit the nooks and crannies and bust the dust bunnies

The cool, crisp days make us feel so energetic after the gloomy cold. Post Diwali this will be our first major cleaning effort. An extra spurt of energy to ensure the corners, hard to reach places and neglected spots are all cleaned. It is the perfect way to welcome the sun god into our homes along with family and friends.

4. Stock up on the food for festivities

With a few days to Sankranti it is the right time for shopping. This also helps avoid the last minute rush.Til, Gud, Gajak, Popcorn, Peanuts, fresh greens and various traditional foods that we eat during the festivities can be bought too. Even if you are not religious, this is a fun way to stay in touch with tradition and get munching together as a family as you enjoy each other’s company.

5. Choose your ritual, make it fun

Each part of our country celebrates this festival differently even though we all welcome the spring, be it with kite flying, burning a bonfire or worshiping the Sun God. A lot of things are needed and it is best if we arrange all the items in advance so there is no last minute searching for things. A clear list of all the things needed is the best way to shop and set them up in our homes.

If you are not going in for a traditional celebration, pick any one aspect you love, be it flying kites or making pongal, and perhaps you could even get together with a few friends to enjoy the ritual together.

6. Decorate your homes with marigold flowers, rangoli and motifs

Each festival gives us a chance to celebrate and cherish our customs and traditions. Sankranti too is an opportunity to teach our children and what better way than to show them how it’s done. They will gladly volunteer to fill the colors of a rangoli and put up the garlands of flowers.There is no better way to nurture the bonds of love than to spend quality time together. Festivals are the perfect time and reason for spreading some love.

I wish you happy and healthy days ahead as we celebrate Sankranti. Wewelcome the spring with these lines in Punjabi:

“Ayi Rut Basant Di, TeMooli Chadiya Bheen,

Dhoopa Pargat Hoiya, Te Ghar Nu Chaliya Seen.”

The spring season/basant has arrived, as radish plants are blooming, the sun has made an appearance as the cold is going back to its home.

Image of kites flying via Shutterstock

Post supported by Godrej Hit #SayNoToFoodPoisoning. Click here to follow the story of a roach and its hidden life in your kitchen.

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