Makar Sankranti- The Festival of Many Names

Makar Sankranti is celebrated every year on January 14^th, one of the most auspicious festivals of Hindus. This is the only festival which is known by so many different names and is celebrated in different ways across the country.

Most commonly known as MakarSankranti, In Uttar Pradesh, it is called ‘Khichiri’. A one-month long ‘Magha-Mela’ begins at Prayag (Allahabad) on this occasion and people take a dip in the holy rivers. In Tamil Nadu and southern India Sankranti is called ‘Pongal’ which derives its name from a delicacy prepared by boiling rice with pulses in Ghee and milk that is offered to the family deity after worshiping sun. 

This festival holds a lot of relevance for farmers and is even bigger than Diwali. In Assam, the festival is called ‘Bihu’. They celebrate the festival by dancing and praying to Sun god. In Punjab, it is called ‘Lohari’ and is celebrated by getting together dancing Bhangra and throwing sweets, sugarcane and rice in the bonfires. In Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat people exchange sweets made from sesame seeds and sugar and also til-laddus made from sesame seeds and jaggery. They have a tradition of flying kites. On this very occasion you have the opportunity to witness different colors of celebration and taste of cultural mix as you go to different geographies across the country. 

So now getting to know so many names and the way it is celebrated across country, one might feel a beet inquisitive about why this festival is celebrated? Below are few insights on why Sankranti is celebrated in a grand manner across the country.

It is a solar event that marks ascending of Sun and entering into Northern Hemisphere making days longer and nights shorter.  The significance of festival can be derived from the faith, Hindus place in Sun. The movement of Sun in different hemispheres is regarded as a heavenly event which is responsible for seasons, rains, vegetation and prosperity on planet earth. The festival is a thankful gesture to up above for the natural treasures we have been bestowed with.

Besides the astral significance the festival is also associated with a lot of astrological significance.

Makar means Capricorn and Sankranti means transition. There is a sankranti each month when sun passes from one zodiac sign to the next. There are 12 Sakranti in a year; however Makar Sakranti is the most important.  According to Purana, on this day Sun visits house of his son Shani, who is considered swami of Makar Rashi. Also it is believed that it was on this day when Lord Vishnu ended rising terror of the Asuras. So this occasion also signifies the end of the evil and mark new beginnings. From this day begins the six-month long Uttarayana, when all the auspicious events like marriages, purchases, inaugurations, house warming ceremonies take place.

The festival is celebrated by exchanging gifts and passing good wishes. The most common gifts include some traditional artwork, sweets made of sesame seeds, idol of god, good luck plants etc. If you are looking forward to send across wishes in form of gifts to your loved ones, do visit sendmygifts.com for a happy gifting. Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous Makar Sakranti!!

Types of Bouquet

There are a lot of confused folks out there, who literally scratch their head while choosing a right bouquet to gift. Here are few tips. Hope it helps!

Check flower assortment at http://bit.ly/1VPVTCa

Weird New Year Celebrations Across The World

New Year is celebrated across the world. People come together to bid farewell to bygones and hope for a wonderful year ahead. This is the time to reflect upon past and remember those special people who have made life special. Let’s come together and celebrate this wonderful phenomenon and make this world a better place to live. Remember your loved ones, send a gift and cherish them.

As we enter 2016, sendmygift.com brings you some weird traditions across the world that will make you dumbfound. 

Relevance of Gifting During Christmas

Long awaited Christmas is finally round the corner and everyone is eagerly waiting to be treated with gifts and surprises from their friends and family. Christmas is all about giving; It is a great time to bond. For long, gift giving on Christmas has become a norm and we follow it with joy and exhilaration as it is a time of happiness and cheerfulness for everyone, but do we know where and why this tradition of giving started, why giving holds so much of relevance on Christmas?

 As known to everyone Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus as Christmas every year, but the lesser known fact is that when Jesus was born, he was treated with gifts by 3 wise men- Frankincense, Gold and Myrrh. As per Christian belief, these three gifts symbolized Jesus life. Frankincense, a perfume used in Jewish worship, depicted that people would worship Jesus, Gold was associated with Kings and according to Christians; Jesus is the King of Kings, Myrrh was a perfume that was put on dead bodies depicted that Jesus would suffer and die. Each of the gifts was reflection of Jesus’s life and relates to some part of his existence from his birth till the time he was crucified.

During the 2nd Century, this tradition was further taken forward by Saint called Saint Nicholas. St. Nicholas was considered to be a Nobel man, who had a special affection towards poor children. Legends has it that St. Nicholas used to present gifts to less fortunate kids during this month, this noble gesture earned him the name ’Santa Claus’. Since then, small children have heard stories and believe that Santa Claus would come and treat them with gifts every Christmas. So to keep the belief and the magic of the festival alive, the young ones in the family tie socks and stockings on X-MAS tree hoping that Santa would come on Christmas night and drop a gift in that stocking or just keep the gift under the X-MAS tree. The friends and family members become that ‘Secret Santa’, buy gifts and secretly keep them under the Christmas tree, writing name of person for whom the gift is bought.

In good old days perfume and gold coins were passed on as a token of love and affection. Perfume was to spread the goodness of Jesus and gold was meant for prosperity. Over the time the concept of gifting has transformed with so many gift ideas in place. There are so many things one can present as an ideal gift to his or her loved ones to make them happy. Right from buying the most exotic Christmas delicacies like Plum cake and Chocolates complemented with flowers, soft toys and candles to more sophisticated gifts like jewelry, decorations, apparels and furnishings. One has the option to visit so many marketplaces offline and online to get the best gift for their special ones.

One such online marketplace is Send My Gift where you can find the largest assortment of Christmas gifts at reasonable prices. There are some really great Christmas combos available to choose from combining fresh flowers, cakes, toys and decorations, candles, cake and flowers, X-MAS tree, nativity figurines, decorations and magic mugs and chocolates. The marketplace gives you the option of same day delivery and midnight delivery so that your surprise reaches just in time at the doorstep of your loved ones. Do send out your emotions aloud with Send My Gifts and be the secret Santa for your friends and family. We will help you deliver emotions in the best way possible.

Infographic-Journey of The Christmas Tree

The Christmas tree has a long history. It came into existence during the 2nd century and as years passed by spread across the world. This infographic is an illustration of the history and the journey of the tree. 

Flowers & Printed Mug

Flowers & Printed Mug

Flowers & Printed Mug with teddy is a combo from Sendmygift.com with hand wrapped, beautiful fresh Flowers with a printed mug and teddy and a great gifting idea to your loved ones. Handpicked, hand wrapped, beautiful fresh Flowers with a printed mug.