Makara Sankrati festivities start with “Bhogi” in South India
India being an agricultural country, its Harvest festival is the most significant one. It is celebrated across the country on the same day with lot of zeal and enthusiasm, but has different names in each region. However, being a harvest festival, bonfires and feasts are the main thing common to all the celebrations of this festival. Almost all the states of India celebrate this festival with varied festivities including singing and dancing. In northern India, the festival is known as Lohri while in Assam it is called Bhogali Bihu, in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar it is known as Sankranti, and in Andhra Pradesh it is celebrated as Bhogi, when each household puts on display its collection of dolls, in Tamil nadu it is called Pongal.
Almost all of the Southern states celebrate the same, bonfires, Surya pongal, Cattles festival, Cock fights, bull fights, except in Andhra Pradesh where they display dolls too as part of the festivities. In Southern Part of India Pongal celebrations start a month in advance, with Dhanurmasam, a month long ritual of welcoming the Lord into the household with Kolam’s or Muggulu (RAngoli’s) and it culminates with the Andal Kalyanam or Goda Kalyanam.
Sankrathi is a harvest festival it is that of the year when the farmers express their gratitude to Varuna Deva i.e the god of rains. It is the rural thanksgiving festival when the farmers thank the cattle for being helpful to them. It is celebrated as a four-day festival. However, as a result of urbanization and modernization, the age old traditions are slowly fading.
Day 1 – Bhogi – the festival with Bhogi mantalu, bhogi pallu and many more.
Day 2 – Makara Sankranti with Sankranti muggulu, bommala koluvu etc
Day 3 – Kanuma – the thanksgiving festival celebrated by the farmers
Day 4 – Mukkanuma celebrated with kodi pandelu cock-fight (presently an illegal activity because of the harm it causes to the people involved) and Jalli Kattu (Bull fight)
Bhogi Celebrations
Usually Bhogi falls on the 13th / 14th January every year. The day before Makara Sankranti is celebrated as Bhogi. It is a festival of family gathering that brings joy and happiness in the families. The married daughters of the family visit their parents’ house along with their husbands and children. The festival is very special for ‘kotha allullu’ i.e new sons-in-law. It is compulsory for the newly wed daughters to visit their parents’ house along with their husband.
Bhogi is the day preceding Sankranti and Kanumu is the day after. On Bhogi day, in the early morning, a bonfire is lit up with waste before the traditional special bath taken with “Til Oil” or Til Seeds boiled in water. Pongal (rice pudding with milk) is an important item during this festival. Special dishes, like ariselu (sweet rice cakes), are prepared. Almost all the dishes prepared on this day include the new rice that comes home after the harvest.
Sankranti Muggulu
Muggulu (Rangoli) on the floor are the special attraction of Sankranti festival celebrations. Women folk, young and old, are engaged in drawing muggulu (rangolis) with a competitive spirit. These are so special that various organizations conduct Sankranti muggula poteelu i.e. rangoli competitions where the ladies are given a chance to showcase their expertise / talent.
Gobbillu / Gobbemmalu
Gobbillu is a Telugu word for small cow dung balls. It is an age old tradition in Andhra Pradesh to place ‘gobbillu’ on the ‘Sankranti muggulu’. Young girls make gobbillu, apply pasupu (turmeric) / kumkum on these and place the balls on the muggulu. A pumpkin flower / marigold flower / chrysanthemum flower is placed on each of the cow dung ball. Unmarried young girls of the surrounding houses gather round the muggulu, dance round it singing songs in praise of Lord Krishna. The next day, dried up gobbillu are collected and kept separately which are later used to cook pongal on the “Ratha saptami”
Bhogi Mantalu
On Bhogi day, early in the morning before sunrise, a bonfire is set in front of the house. This bonfire is called Bhogi Mantalu in Telugu. This is set either individually by each household or set at the community level. All the wooden waste, dried twigs or branches from the house and the dried up gobillu are thrown in the Bhogi Mantalu. In the olden days, people used to sit around the bonfire to warm up themselves in the chill weather. But these days, due to global warming, people no more gather round the bonfire to warm up.
Gangireddu and Basavanna
Gangireddu / Basavanna is the most common sight in any village or town in South India during the festival period. Basavannas are the men who beg alms carrying a gangireddu (bull). Basavanna plays folk tunes on a sannai (clarinet) while the bull dances to his tunes with nodding head. Usually Basavanna accepts old clothes which are placed on the bull and few coins by praising and blessing the members of the household. This is a kind of charitable activity and at the same time one can get rid of the old and unused clothes.
Haridaasu
This is another important aspect of the festive celebrations. Haridaasulu also beg alms mostly rice grains and these men are very much different in their costume which resembles the costume of Naarada Mahaamuni. These men hold a small Veena – the stringed musical instrument on one hand and chidatalu – a pair of wooden blocks used as cymbals in the other hand. The hard yellow shell (out covering) of yellow pumpkin (tiya gummadi) is placed on his head. He uses this as a container and accepts grains in it. When the lady of the house comes out with handful of grains, Haridasu bends down on his knees and the lady pours the grains in this pumpkin-shell container. Then, he bless her sayings the words ‘Krishnaarpan’ which means ‘offered to Lord Krishna’.
Bhogi Pallu
Bhogi pallu a combination of local berries, coins, flowers, cut sugarcane and bengal gram soaked overnight are showered on the children by elders in the family and colony. It is showered on the babies babies from months babies to five years old babies of the house in a family social gathering called “perantam” in local language. This ritual is more to pray the Lord to invoke blessings on the children. This custom is prevalent more in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka.
Bommala Koluvu
Bommala koluvu is a main activity of Makara Sankranti. Young girls neatly arrange and display their bommalu i.e dolls in a beautiful way. By doing so, the young girls are encouraged to showcase their talent and learn to keep their things in an organized way. Friends and relatives are invited to see the array of dolls. This is a way of inculcating the habit of socializing in the young girls.
Kodi Pandem (Cock-fight)
Kodi Pandem or cock-fight is an age old traditional sport played on Mukkanuma day during the Sankranti time. This is mostly played in the North coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh. This traditional sport has changed in the recent past and this is mostly played as a symbol of supremacy. Specially trained cocks are forced to fight which sheds lot of blood and sometimes leads to the death of either or both the cocks. Unfortunately, there is also heavy betting among the individuals during this time. However, this is not a good practice and it has now become an illegal activity but still it takes place in many areas of Andhra Pradesh.
As per historical records, the famous Bobbili Yudham – a fearful battle between the neighboring kingdoms of Bobbili and Vizianagaram was an outcome of such a kodi padem.
Patangala Poteelu
In the Telangana region, kite-flying competition is an important activity of Makara Sankranti. Men of all age group take part in the competitions and enjoy flying kites of different shapes. Perhaps this would have been adopted from the Jaipur (Rajasthan) Kite Festival celebrated on Makara Sankranti day.
=====
Must Read : Swami Vivekananda Jayanthi : Taking Advaitha Vedanta to the Common Man
Must Read : Significance of Dhanurmasam – A Month of Devotion
