Holidays & Observances: Bhogi

For all the posts in this Holidays & Observances series, go here.

Prologue: I have been meaning to write a series about Holidays and Observances that we (my family and friends) follow in both India (my birth country) and USA (my adopted country). This series is dedicated to those kids of posts. On a side note, perhaps I might witness some of the celebrations from other countries as well that may get their way into this series. 🙂

Sankrathi is a four-day festival for people coming from Telugu (Indian language) states in India. However this is one festival that is celebrated all over India by ever state, albeit each one calls it by a different name. Essentially it is the Harvest Festival in India. We typically do this only 3-days in my family. Here is a picture from Google Search that shows the festival in all the states.

This 4-day event began with Bhogi which fell on Jan 14th this year. Typically the fruits of the harvest (Sugarcane, Regi Pallu aka Jujube) along with flowers and money are showered over little kids – a ceremony called as Bhogi Pallu.

We also decorate our yards with patters created out of either stone powder or rice flour or flowers. A typical festival feast is prepared for lunch which is consumed after completing offerings and prayers to whichever God one worships.

In the evening we conclude the celebrations for the day with a bonfire aka Bhogi Mantalu with logs of wood, other solid-fuels, and wooden furniture at home that are no longer useful. Here is a pic from the bonfire that was at one of my cousin’s apartment in India. Reminds me of Summer Solstice bonfire I attended a few times in US.