How is Sankrānti celebrated over three days in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana?

Bhogi with a bonfire, Sankrānti with muggulu and pongali, and Kanuma honouring cattle and the harvest.

Makara Saṅkrānti, when the Sun enters Capricorn in mid-January, is the biggest family festival for many Telugu homes, and people travel back to their villages for it. Day one is Bhogi: before dawn a bonfire, the Bhogi maṇṭalu, burns old things, symbolising a fresh start, and in the evening small children are showered with Bhogi paḷḷu, regi fruits mixed with flowers and coins, for blessings.

Day two, Sankrānti, is the main day. Courtyards fill with large muggulu (rangoli), topped with gobbemmalu, little cow-dung mounds decorated with flowers. Families cook pongali and ariselu, offer them to the Sun and ancestors, wear new clothes and visit relatives. Haridāsus singing devotional songs and Gaṅgireddulu, decorated bulls, go from house to house.

Day three, Kanuma, thanks the cattle that help in farming. They are bathed, painted and fed, and families enjoy a festive meal.

Bhogi · Sankrānti · Kanuma · Source: common practice in Telugu households

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