The internet search giant Google once again surprised with its new Google Doodle.On the day when nation specially Hindus celebrates Makar Sankranti, Google has painted kites and flying balloons on its search engine home page in India.The festival is celebrated in almost all parts of the country and is also knowns as Pongal, Bihu and Lohri in some parts of the country.
Makar Sankranti is a major harvest festival celebrated in various parts of India. According to the lunar calendar, when the sun moves from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn or from Dakshinayana to Uttarayana, in the month of Poush in mid-January, it commemorates the beginning of the harvest season and cessation of the northeast monsoon in South India.
Makar Sankranti is celebrated with distinct names and rituals in different parts of India. In the states of northern and western India, the festival is celebrated as the Sankranti day with special zeal and fervor. The importance of this day has been signified in the ancient epics like Mahabharata also.
In Northern India, people offer thousands of their colorful oblations to the Sun in the form of beautiful kites. The act stands as a metaphor for reaching to their beloved God, the one who represents the best. Makar Sankranti identifies a period of enlightenment, peace, prosperity and happiness followed by a period of darkness, ignorance and viciousness with immense sorrow.
Google shows a special colorless logo from time-to-time on a local homepage in recognition of a major tragedy, often for several days. The design was apparently first used on the Google Poland homepage after the air disaster that killed President Lech Kaczyński in April 2010. A few days later, the logo was used in China and Hong Kong to pay respects to the victims of the Qinghai earthquake.
On December 23, 2010, Google launched their holiday logo to celebrate Christmas. The logo was a combination of 17 images with each image referring to a cuisine, an instrument or a place, such as Nepal.
