Believe it or not, there is a very scientific reason behind flying kites on the eve of ‘Sankranti’. In the olden times, the event of flying the kite was done in the early hours and it was believed that the exposure had health benefits. The sun’s rays was believed to help fight infections and skin diseases and keep us healthy through.
The name Makar Sankranti: There is a reason behind why this festival is called by this name. ‘Makara’ means Capricorn which is a zodiac sign and ‘Sankranti’ means sun’s movement from one sign to another. So if we club it together, it means sun’s movement towards Capricorn.
One festival, different names:As mentioned above, Makar Sankranti is observed across India with varied names like in Tamil Nadu it is called Pongal, West Bengal ‘Poush Sankrati’, Assam ‘Bhogali Bihu’, Gujrat calls in’Uttarayan’, Parts of Haryana and Himachal call it by’Maghi’. But at the end the meaning remains the same, a festival which largely celebrates the crop harvest of the season.
More interesting facts (Surya and Shani, Bhagirath) on this festival can be found here: