Bondings, bonfires, bright rangolies mark Bhogi

Bhogi is all about letting go of negative energy and bringing postiveness for the new beginnings

Hyderabad: Colourful rangolies and bonfires marked the Bhogi festival on Monday. This is the first day of a three-day Sankranti festival, where people wake up early morning to light bonfires in front of their houses with old woods, articles to let go of negative energy.

On the day of Bhogi, some boil water on the bonfire and believe that taking a bath with that water is auspicious.

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Sankranti, on the second day,  is mainly a celebration for farmers, as they harvest the first paddy crop of the year. Cleaning and arranging start a week before the festival. They worship the rain god for good monsoons.

Women deck up the entrance of the house with colourful rangoli decorated with ”Gobbemma”(small ball made of cow dung), ”regu pandlu”(jujube), and flowers. In the evening, people celebrate ‘regu pandlu’ (jujube) put on the heads of little kids.

Delicacies like ‘ariselu’, ‘janthikalu’, ‘laddu’, ‘Bundi’, ‘sakinalu’ are prepared.

It is time for family members to come together, celebrate new beginnings, and thank farmers for bountiful harvest.

The festival Kanuma, the third day, is mainly about cooking and eating, enjoying with family. It is also believed that people shouldn’t travel on the day of Kanuma.