Revellers make bonfire using old brooms, baskets and clothes

Women indulge in merry-making in Ongole

Sankranti festivities began with revellers making ‘Bhogi' bonfire in keeping with progressive tradition of discarding obsolete things and welcome new things and new ideas for making a new beginning in life with optimism.

Explaining the significance of the traditional harvest festival, Vedic priest Matampalli Dakshinamurthy said the idea of the Bhogi celebrations was to discard unwanted things and cultivate a positive attitude to make a mark in their chosen fields from Makara Sankranti when the Sun makes its journey to the Northern Hemisphere (Makara rasi), signifying the onset of Uttarayana Punyakalam.

Accompanied by playing of ‘Dhol’ and ‘Nadaswaram’, young and old burnt old brooms, baskets, clothes, broken wooden furniture and other unwanted things in front of their houses at the break of dawn.

Housewives vied with one another in decorating the entrance with attractive rangoli and placing ‘gobbemmalu' (small cow dung balls with pumpkin flowers placed in the centre) as per tradition. A variety of sweets and savouries including ‘ariselu’ and ‘bobattulu’ were relished on the occasion.

A mixture of ‘regi pandlu’, ‘senagalu’, flower petals, slices of sugarcane and coins were showered over the heads of children in their best attire to ward off any evil eye.

Women tastefully arranged ‘Bommala Koluvu’ with attractive new dolls and invited friends and relatives to view them. The majestic Ongole bulls were the cynosure of all eyes as they performed a variety of feats much to the amusement of onlookers in every street corner. Men in the attire of ‘Haridasu' went round the town wishing the best to revellers.

It was fun and frolic for families of police personnel as ‘Muggulu’ and other contests were organised at the Police Parade Grounds by SP P.Pramod Kumar.