Hyderabad: Hyderabad on Monday woke up to rising bonfires lit up for purging the old and embracing the warmth of all things new. Bhogi marks the beginning of the three-day-long festivities where families and friends participate in traditional rituals, share food and spend time together flying kites and shopping.Bhogi, dedicated to lord Indra, begins with a bonfire lit up in the morning and all old household items are purged into the fire. The front yard or thresholds of houses, shops and even important buildings like the Secretariat were adorned with muggulu (rangoli). The floor is cleaned with cow dung and water and patterns are made with chalk and colour.”The muggu is special today as opposed to other days because we decorate it alongside nine types of grains called Navadhanyalu, beetroot, sugarcane, yam (kanda gadda) and cow dung,” said Rekha, a 50-year-old homemaker.The families share homemade snacks like ariselu, sakinalu and sweet dishes like Paramannam. “Ariselu and Sakinalu are made with sesame seeds, a food item considered warm and healthy in winters,” said Megha Kavitha, a grocery shop owner in Secunderabad.Sweet shops see a larger than usual footfall on Sankranti like all festivals. Laddus made with sesame seeds and other snacks dominate the sales on this festival.”Sakinalu is the testament to the food and cultural diversity of Telangana. The size and shape of them can tell you where they are from. While the size is bigger in Nizamabad, in Karimnagar they would be medium sized,” said Hanisha Kalva, a master’s student from Osmania.”The traditions also include offerings of rice to Haridasu accompanied by colourfully decorated Oxen, called gangireddulu,” she added.Morning also witnessed devotees thronging temples like Lord Venkateswara to participate in the kalyanam (wedding) of goddess Goda Devi and lord Ranganatha Swamy.The afternoons and evenings were marked by kite-flying sessions. While youngsters lined up in Begum Bazar to buy kites at wholesale prices, there were kites and sweets festivals at various places including Parade Grounds and Malaysian township.”While the traditions are more or less the same, Andhra Pradesh also has the tradition of kodi pandem that includes pitching roosters at each other and people betting on it,” said Ramesh, a first year student at JNTU. “There is also a tradition of arranging small dolls and toys called Bommalakollu,” he added. The celebrations will continue with Makar Sankranti on Tuesday followed by Kanuma on Wednesday.
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