page_title: Makar Sankranti
section_title: Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
hierarchical_section_title: Makar Sankranti / Regional variations / Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
caption_attribution_description: English: Bhogi flames in K.Rajupalem in Early Morning of the First day — Flame your past in Bhogi to invite new hopes
context_page_description: Makara Sankranti or Maghi, is a festival day in the Hindu calendar, dedicated to the deity Surya. It is observed each year in the lunar month of Magha which corresponds with the month of January as per the Gregorian calendar and is a day the people of India and Nepal celebrate their harvest. It marks the first day of the sun's transit into Makara, marking the end of the month with the winter solstice and the start of longer days.
  Makara Sankranti is one of the few ancient Indian and Nepali festivals that has been observed according to solar cycles, while most festivals are set by the lunar cycle of the lunisolar Hindu calendar. Being a festival that celebrates the solar cycle, it almost always falls on the same Gregorian date every year, except in some years when the date shifts by a day for that year.
context_section_description: The festival Sankranti is celebrated for four days in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana: 
  Day 1 – Bhogi (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra)
  Day 2 – Makara Sankranti, the main festival day
  Day 3 – Kanuma (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana)
  Day 4 – Mukkanuma (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana)
  Bhogi
  The day preceding Makara Sankranti is called Bhogi. This is when people discard old and derelict things and concentrate on new things causing change or transformation. At dawn, people light a bonfire with logs of wood, other solid fuels and wooden furniture that are no longer useful.
  Makara Sankranti
  The second day is Makara Sankranti. People wear new clothes, pray to God, and make offerings of traditional food to ancestors who have died. They also make beautiful and ornate drawings and patterns on the ground with chalk or flour, called rangoli or muggu in Telugu, in front of their homes. These drawings are decorated with flowers, colours and small, hand-pressed piles of cow dung, called gobbemma.
  For this festival all families prepare chekkalu, chakralu, arisalu, buralu, gavvalu, purnalu, bundi mithai, bundi laddu, garelu, chakinalu, nuvvula appalu, katte appalu or karam appalu, madugulu (jantikalu), bellam appalu, kudumulu, ariselu, appalu (a sweet made of jaggery and rice flour), dappalam (a dish made with pumpkin and other vegetables) and make an offering to God.
  Kanuma
  On the third day, Kanuma is celebrated. Kanuma is very intimate to the hearts of farmers because it is the day for praying and showcasing their cattle with honor. Cattle are the symbolic indication of prosperity. On the day after Makara Sankranti, the animal kingdom is remembered and, in particular, cows. Girls feed the animals, birds and fish as a symbol of sharing.
  Mukkanuma
  The fourth day is called Mukkanuma which is popular among the non-vegetarians of the society. On this day, farmers offer prayers to the elements (like soil, rain, fire for helping the harvest) and the (village) goddesses with their gifts which sometimes (and these days mainly) include animals. Kanuma, Mukkanuma and the day following Mukkanuma call for celebrations with union of families, friends, relatives. People play with kites and the sky is filled with beautiful kites.
  Another notable feature of the festival in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana is the Haridasu and Gangiredduvallu who go early in the morning with a colourfully decorated cow. Haridasus sing songs of Lord Vishnu (Hari); hence the name Haridasu (servant of Hari). It is a custom that he should not talk to anyone and only sing songs of Lord Vishnu when he goes to everyone's house.
caption: Bhogi Flames in Andhra Pradesh
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