As it is the first festival of the year, people celebrate Makar Sankranti with a lot of grandeur all over the country. In Gujarat, Makar Sankranti is also referred to as the Uttarayan festival.

The Uttarayan festival is the most awaited festival in Gujarat. People here celebrate the festival by flying kites, making sweets, and relishing lip-smacking khichdi. While Gujaratis look forward to screaming Kai Po Che at kites flying in the sky, the Uttarayan festival is not just about worshiping and eating sweets, it has several interesting aspects.

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The Uttarayan festival holds astrological and traditional importance. It is celebrated on the day when the sun transitions from Sagittarius to Capricorn. The sun god is worshipped with sweets, devotion, and khichdi.

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According to the Hindu epic Mahabharata, it was noted that King Bhishma was given the choice of choosing his time of death and he chose Makar Sankranti.

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Uttarayan is the onset of spring and harvest season. People distribute sweets, savories, and other food items among relatives, near and dear ones to give them the message to forget all old and sad memories and start the year on a note of hope and love.

 Flying kites is one of the most important attractions of the Uttarayan festival in Gujarat. People believed that flying kites was related to good health as the person would be exposed to the sun for a longer duration.