Makar Sankranti is celebrated as 'Tirmoori' by which community?

The Sindhi community celebrates Makar Sankranti as Tirmoori. On this day, parents send gifts of ladoos made of sesame seeds (til) and jaggery, called "tirmoori", and other sweets and money to their married daughters and their families. The festival is celebrated in mid-January.

The name Tirmoori comes from "til" (sesame) and refers to the sweets made from sesame and jaggery, which are eaten in winter because they are believed to keep the body warm. The custom of sending gifts to married daughters shows the importance of maintaining close bonds between parents and their daughters after marriage. Families also give charity to the poor, especially sesame, grain and warm clothes, which is regarded as very meritorious on Makar Sankranti.

Makar Sankranti marks the day when the sun enters the zodiac sign of Capricorn (Makara) and begins its northward journey (Uttarayana). It is one of the few Hindu festivals that follows the solar calendar, so it falls on nearly the same date every year, 14 or 15 January. It is celebrated in different ways across India:

Makara Sankranti in Karnataka, with the exchange of "ellu-bella".

In Maharashtra, people exchange multicoloured halwa and til-gul ladoos, saying "Tilgul ghya, god god bola" ("Take til-gul and speak sweetly").

The Sindhis, whose homeland is the province of Sindh, now in Pakistan, also celebrate Cheti Chand (their New Year), Chaliha Sahib and Lal Loi.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Punjabi community celebrates Lohri and Maghi.
• ✗Gujarati community celebrates Uttarayan with kite flying.
• ✗Marathi community exchanges til-gul on Makar Sankranti.