Thursday, January 21, 2010

SANKRANTHI

Sankranti , is a Sanskrit word which refers to the transmigration of Sun from one Rasi to another.Hence there are 12 Sankratis in all.the Sankrati festival usually refers to Makar Sankrati, or the transmission of Sun from Dhanu rasi (Sagittarius) to Makar Rasi(Capricon)

The festival, Sankranti , is celebrated for four days in Andhra Pradesh as below:
Day 1 - Bhogi
Day 2 - Makara Sankranti (Pedda Panduga)
Day 3 - Kanuma
Day 4 - Mukkanuma

The first day of festival is Bhogi. At dawn people light a bonfire with wooden logs, other solid-fuels and wooden furniture at home home that are no longer useful. In many families, infants and children (usually less than three years old) are showered with fruit called "Regi Pandlu", that is the Indian jujube fruit. It is believed that doing this would protect the children from evil eye, called "Dishti" (from Sanskrit Drishthi: sight).

GOBBILLU
The second day is Makara Sankranti , also called "Pedda Panduga" , which literally means "the big festival", the Festival of colors. Before every house girls and women display colouful rangolis before the dawn itself.Spesially for Sankrati the rangolis ,called Muggulu in telugu, displayed all with straight lines in the traditionla manner.Gobbillu , balls of Cow Dung are placed in the middle of these Rangolis and worshiped with flowers , kumkum and turmeric in a ritualistic way.

Kanuma Panduga is not as widely celebrated, but is an integral part of the Sankranti culture. Mukkanuma is famous among the non-vegetarians of the society. People in Coastal Andhra do not eat any meat or fish during the first three days of the festival, and do so only on the day of Mukkanuma, where as people in Telangana region observe only the first two days as part of the festival and eat any meat or fish on Makara Sankranti (Pedda Panduga}, the second day of the festival. For this festival all families prepare Ariselu, and in Northern Telangana regoin people prepare ,"SAKINALU" a snack specially made for Sankrati.

Friday, January 1, 2010