It’s a festival when the sky gets dotted with kites, and the earth is adorned with `muthyala muggulu’ (Rangoli). Read on as Generation Next gives you an insight about Sankranti.
All families are seen on the terrace cheering as their kites soar high, mothers and grandmothers make sure the supply of sesame-seed sweets don’t run out – that is how parts of India celebrates Makar Sankranti, the harvest festival!
Sankranti is perhaps the only festival with amazing colour and vibrancy, and also varied in terms of celebrations. Spread over three days – Bhogi, Sankranti and Kanumu – the festivities mark Sun’s northward journey called “Uttarayanam”. This turn in the sun’s course takes place at the point of time when it enters the zodiac sign of Makara or Capricorn. The day-duration increases and the night decreases from the day of Sankranti. It is the harbinger of more light and sunshine in life and lessening of its darker aspects.
Inspite of the fast changing times with people migrating from villages to bigger cities in search of greener pastures and with cities expanding, the spirit behind the way we celebrate our festivals has not changed. Bhogi, the first day is marked with gaiety and is celebrated on the eve of Sankranti or Pongal in all its entirety with traditional practices and customs which have been followed since our forefathers. “We get up early in the morning at 4 a.m, and lit a bonfire on the occasion of Bhogi, symbolizing ringing out the old to ring in the new. Old brooms, baskets, clothes, junk firewood, broken wooden furniture are all thrown into the fire signifying the cleansing of the house and a fresh start to the New Year. Life is seen as a continuous renewal,” says Deepti Gupta, a Customer Service Executive at Bell.
Then after Bhogi, it’s Sankranti. Women get busy with drawing `rangoli’ outside their homes. In fact, they decorate their vaakili’ (the entrance to the house/front porch) with muggu/kolam/rangoli’ and decorate it with marigold and pumpkin flowers during the entire festive period. Muggu is artistic intricate pattern drawn with hand on a washed surface using rice flour or chalk powder and decorated with colors and flowers and bring out the richness and uniqueness of Indian tradition and culture. Every muggu is reflective of the art and artistic capabilities that each woman possesses and is a celebration of life. It`s done to welcome good luck.
Another attractive feature of Sankranti is Gobbemmalu – “we, young girls make round balls of cow dung called gobbis that are decorated with vermilion, turmeric and flowers, and place them in the middle of the bright muggus in the front yards. After nava dhanya puja, then we gather to sing and dance around these gobbis,” explains Deepti.
All said and done, the chirpy voices of young girls clad in traditional colorful `langa-voni’ enliven the surroundings.
“Then on this day my mom is usually busy with the kitchen work! Since it`s a Harvest Festival, new rice is boiled in milk to make a sweet called chakkerapongali, the special cuisine of the festival. This preparation is then offered to Sun God as thanks giving. There is a strong belief that the poor must be given alms on this day to bring prosperity. So my family gives gifts to the poor as a charitable act,” says Deepti.
Kite flying has been associated with this festival in a big way. “The entire sky becomes a showcase of colourful kites of various sizes and shapes. It is a day when every family can be seen outdoors ‘cutting’ each other’s kites. Kites of myriad hues, shapes and sizes decorate the skies from dawn to dusk during this festival. The vast panorama of the sky dotted with thousand of kites becomes a wonderful sight to see,” says Ankit Patel, who owns a store in Gerrad Street.
“Lots of prestige issues were considered. Boys indulged in business intelligence the likes CIA will never know. Who can ground the best “Manja” (glue mixed with superfine ground glass, that is coated on the kite string and helps cut the opponents string). Which house had the best kite! Things like this mattered a lot.”
“It is a joyous day, with a bright sun, clear skies and breezes strong enough to lift innumerable kites aloft. It is in fact a celebration to mark the end of winter, when the heat of summer is still to come. Besides the primary kite flying, we also enjoy the cuisine. To be in any one of these places during this festival is to feel the heart and pulse of India and its people. We gather on terraces or rooftops and engage in kite flying. There is music in the air and traditional delicacies are especially prepared for this day,” says Ankit.
The third day is Kanuma. It is a celebration by an agrarian community. All the three days, rich and poor alike, have a good time. Kanuma is the third day of the festival, Sankranti. It is primarily a festival of farmers. On this day farmers decorate their cattle and treat them with deep respect to show appreciation in helping them plough the fields. All said and done it is an occasion of family gatherings and merry time. So get set for Sankranti sambaralu!
