Chilligavva

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Childhood consisted of celebrating Sankranti with much awaited pomp and fervour. It all began with washing the house with water, and wiping the floors with a rag, the night before “bhogie” (2 days before Sankranti). It would then be followed by drawing of muggus with ground rice paste at every threshold and room corners. We children were scolded and asked not to step on any of the house “muggus” till it was dry.
A sense of excitement pervaded the whole street. We knew something good was to happen. Of course we knew it when the kites started appearing across the skies. And as the date drew closer, lots of prestige issues were considered. Boys indulged in business intelligence the likes CIA will never know. Who had 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!.

Did you know that the Guptas were considering flying a Japanese kite?. would be countered with “Its not importing boss, its all in the Manja, and skill”.

Pic Courtesy: Meanest Indian
Girls go agog about their newest dresses and the coolest “muggus” or “rangolis“. Traditional muggus would have a “gobbamma” [A mound of cowdung worshipped with marigold flowers and vermilion.] at the center, along with ash gourd pumpkin pieces.. Its harvest season after all.
The auspicious day of Sankranthi is celebrated in Andhra Pradesh for three consecutive days. Bhogi, Pedda Sankranti and Kanuma. Bhogi is a symbolic year end and beginning of the new year. This is achieved by lighting a bonfire with old things on Bhogi. Little children also are worshipped with fruits and flowers. [Bhogi Pallu] On pedda Sankranti, after the morning bath and prayers, “Pongal” is made as part of the festivity and served with the main lunch. Budabukkalavallu (story tellers), Haridaslulu (religious poets), Gangireddulavallu (bull keepers), visit houses during the festival. As per tradition, they are honoured and given money.
A special attraction in the Telugu households is the bommala koluvu where different dolls, toys, idols are arranged in an attractive manner for the neighbouring women to come and admire during the koluvu perantam, on all three days. The evenings are dedicated to perantamswhich sees gathering of women in different houses - in fact, they flockfrom one house to the other to bless the children, especially on Bhogi for the bhogi pallu ceremony where children below five are seated in a chair while women pour bhogi pallu (comprising petals of marigold flowers, `regi’ (red berries) fruits and coins) on their heads to ward off the evil. …more

Religious Meaning: Makar Sankranti is the day when the Sun God begins its ascendancy and entry into the Northern Hemisphere. Sun for Hindus stands for Pratyaksha Brahman - the manifest God, who symbolizes, the one, non-dual, self-effulgent, glorious divinity blessing one and all tirelessly. Sun is the one who transcends time and also the one who rotates the proverbial wheel of time. The famous Gayatri Mantra, which is chanted everyday by every faithful Hindu, is directed to Sun God to bless them with intelligence & wisdom. Sun not only represents God but also stands for an embodiment of knowledge & wisdom. Lord Krishna reveals in Gita that this manifested divinity was his first disciple, and we all know it to be indeed a worthy one too. No Sundays for the Sun, may be because one who revels in its very ’being’, the very essence of his own Self, is always in the Sunday mood.
- Wiki

Here is a cool video of a kite flying attempt. The voice over is in my mother tongue, telugu.

Here is another video depicting decorated bulls passing through. The people (Indian cowboys) are speaking Kannada in the video. The bulls (?) got disturbed by the flashes of the cameras. The drumming is also part of Sankranti.

Astrologically, it is the beginning of the month of capricorn, when the earth tilts towards the sun (northern tilt), and is called uttarayan.

Every year on Makara Sankaranthi , a unique phenomenon takes place at Sabarimala, the popular pilgrim centre on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. A light of extraordinary brightness appears on the horizon in the north-eastern side of an adjacent mountain top called Kantamala. The beacon, called Makara Jyoti , lasts 15 to 20 minutes and marks the climax of the 41 days of the Sabarimala pilgrimage.
This ’light’ miracle, in fact, follows yet another unexplained annual event. The ornaments of Lord Ayyappa, presiding deity of Sabarimala, are kept in the custody of the erstwhile Prince of Pandalam in his palace, 90 km from the temple. These are taken to the temple every year in a three-day-long procession. As the procession approaches the temple, an eagle is seen hovering over it, guiding it towards the sanctum sanctorum. Once the ornaments reach the temple, the eagle mysteriously disappears.
For every believer, there is a sceptic. Read the controversies surrounding this phenomena.

Here’s wishing my readers, a happy Sankranthi..