January through April marks the beginning of many harvest festivals in India. India is a land of crops and cultivation and therefore there are many kinds of harvest festivals in India that are celebrated across many states.
Each festival has a different story and tradition attached to it and various folklore and rituals that are performed during them. Each festival is also characterized by its use of colors and costumes that are worn by people during these periods. Men and women ethnic wear throng the markets and shops around the festival times and people dress up in traditional ethnic wear costumes to celebrate.
Ethnic wear is defined as the traditional wear that is used for a typical festival. They are usually linked to the original traditional costumes that men and women wore in the yesteryears when the festivals were celebrated originally. The strong cultural link and references can be seen during these times in terms of fashion and traditional practices.
Makar Sankranti is a popular harvest festival celebrated in the Punjab state of India. Punjab is an agricultural hub and therefore harvest festivals are extremely important for Punjabis. The festival is celebrated with bright colors linked to Yellow and Oranges, denoting the mustard crop fields.
Around the same time, there are many other festivals celebrated in other states as well such as Pongal in Tamil Nadu and Bhogi in the many North Indian States.
Outfit Ideas for Makar Sankranti
Makar Sankranti is linked with ethnic wear and women’s ethnic wear is commonly seen in the form of various types of salwar suit sets. Men wear traditional kurta and pajamas. Ethnic dress for women also includes lehenga, sarees, and half sarees, which are very popular in southern India.
Below are some outfit ideas to wear the right Indian wear for women during Makar Sankranti:
- Patiala Suit Set
Patiala suit is one of the traditional ethnic wear that is adorned by women in Punjab and reappears as the most fashionable choice to wear around Makar Sankranti. This costume is characterized by its large pants with a short crop top resembling kurtis. They are also coupled with a dupatta that helps in putting the ensemble together. This kind of costume is most popular and is preferred by young girls and women as they are fashionable as well as traditional.
- Sharara Suit Set
The Sharara suit set is also one of the most preferred ethnic costumes for Makar Sankranti. Unlike Patiala pants which are hemmed at the bottom, this suit set sports long flared pants that have straight cuts paired with a long or short straight cut top or tunic that is worn along with it. It can also come with a dupatta with work and embellishments.
- Lehenga/Ghagra Choli
Lehenga is one of the most popular ethnic costumes in India and is easily linked to festivities because of its grandeur. A lehenga is a set of short crop tops paired with long inflated skirts that usually come in bright colors and with plenty of embellishments and prints. The ensemble sometimes is paired with a dupatta that helps tie the costume together.
- Sarees/Half Sarees
Sarees are the original traditional costumes of India and are linked to Indian traditions for times unknown. A newer variant of Saree is the half saree which comes as a dupatta along with a skirt that can be paired with a blouse.
