Sankranti is a festival celebrated across four days in Andhra. It was three days at home as the fourth is primarily for non-vegetarians.
The first day is Bhogi. On this day, at dawn, a bonfire is lit with old wooden furniture, old brooms, old clothes etc thrown in as a symbolism of letting go of the old and making way for the new.
The entrance to the house is cleaned and decorated with muggulu. Muggulu (rangoli) are intricate patterns drawn on the floor with rice flour or chalk powder and then decorated with colours/flowers. It is said that using rice flour at the entrance kept the ants away from entering the house. On this day of Bhogi, gobbemallu (cow dung balls) decorated with pasupu (turmeric), kumkum (turmeric with slaked lime) and marigold flowers are placed on the muggulu. Cow dung, turmeric and marigold are also known to keep the area clean of insects.
Amma would have atleast three muggulu in our porch and entrance; she insisted we learn how to make them and now I am glad to have the designs tucked away in a little book. Here is little me trying my hand at it.
This is also a day for the Bommala Koluvu (arrangment of dolls) and Bhogi perentam (gathering of guests primarily women).
Of late, I have not been able to set up a bommala koluvu what with life realy going to the dogs and a crazy corporate job. Maybe next year will see a difference. While we have always set this up at my parent’s home, my favourite of all times would be the one you see below with my elder sister & uncle. Maybe the photo just triggers memories of childhood and the simple things that brought joy.
The bhogi perentam is where a gathering of guests arrive (mostly women) and are invited to shower a mix of copper coins (nowadays it is regular money), bhogi pallu (regi pallu/jujube), senegalu (soaked brown channa) and banti rekkalu (petals of the marigold flowers) on children as a way of blessing them. Usually done for children until they are about 5 years old.
The guests receive ‘tambulam’ that includes betel leaves, betel nuts, soaked brown channa, fruits & flowers.
This is a photo of a cousin receiving the special treatment at our village home.
The second day of the festival is Sankranti…the day for new clothes and special festive food.
The third day is Kanumu. This is the day of praying and honouring the cattle who work hard alongside the farmers in the fields. My mother always used to recollect stories of the day; she comes from an agricultural family and their cows were thoroughly pampered on this day.
Earlier it was common to see decorated bulls (gangireddi as called in Telugu) going from one house to the other led by its master. Raw rice and money were usually given. Has become quite a rare sight in the cities nowadays and for the best…the bulls earlier were treasured as part of the family & well looked after. Now, they are under nourished, ill treated and are seen only as a source of income in most places.
Traditional festive food preparations include sweet pongal, ariselu, bobbattulu, murukulu, pulihyara, gareilu, and much more.
shinar diaries 