Maghe Sankranti

The Maghe Sankranti Festival takes place in January - the holy month of Magh in which the sun enters the southern hemisphere, and the days grow longer and warmer. During the festival, Lord Vishnu the Preserver is praised for his efforts. On the first day of Magh (Maghe Sankranti) people take an early bath in a holy river and visit the shrines of Vishnu to present him with flowers, incense and food.

Worshippers read the Bhagwad Gita (also known as The Song of the Gods) and rub mustard oil into their bodies.

Feasts of rice cooked with lentils, yams or (delicious) taruls are enjoyed, rounded off with laddu (sweets made of sesame and a sugarcane paste).