Although the day of Makar Sankranti is now over, the Makar mood still persists in the tribal bordering district of Mayurbhanj as festivities are not yet over.
Makar, in fact, is the “Gana Parva” of Mayurbhanj. People of all sections of the society here celebrate Makar with great zeal, enthusiasm and fervor, every year. Most of the shops and business establishments remain closed for about a week in almost all parts of the district, in the wake of Makar festivities.
Private vehicles remain off the road. Even daily wage-earners refuse to work and prefer to stay engrossed in their way of Makar festivities like enjoying cakes, meat and sometimes even alchohol. Life, to some extent, comes to a grinding halt here, owing to the Makar impact.
The Mohanta/Kurmi community observes Makar as Tusu Parav. They worship Tusu Muni as a great deity. On the other hand, the Santhals, the dominant tribal community of the region, observe “Damodar Mela” during this time.
They offer tributes to their forefathers on the occasion. Like every year, this year too, people here, irrespective of their caste, creed, colour will remain dipped in Makar festivities for some more days as well. The festive atmosphere is likely to prevail across the district for about a week now.