Excitement over Sankranti was palpable in villages, where homes were decorated with spectacular rangolis and the air wafted the aroma of traditional sweets.
Festivities began with farmers lighting bhogi fires and offering prayers for good rains. The farmers also performed pujas to the tractors, bullock carts and other agriculture equipment on their fields. Women prepared traditional sweets such as pootarekulu, ariselu, sunnundalu and payasam to celebrate Bhogi on Day 1 of Sankranti, also known as the harvest festival.
Residents organised bullock cart competitions, ‘banda lagudu’, ‘pottela pandelu’, ‘yedla pandelu’ and other competitions. Kite festival, rangoli contests and traditional dress competitions were also held in towns and villages.
At Ampapuram village in Krishna district, villagers organised ‘pottela pandelu’ (male sheep competitions), which pulled a large crowd. “Farmers from Eluru, West Godavari, Krishna and other districts participated in ‘pottela pandelu’,” said Kasula Bhadra Rao, a visitor.
Bullock cart and ‘banda lagudu’ contests were held at Gudivada and other places. Rangoli competitions were organised in Vijayawada, Avanigadda, Mudinepalli, Jaggaiahpet, Eluru and other towns as part of the festival.
Meanwhile, the police department organised kabaddi, kho-kho, shuttle, volleyball and other competitions for youth in villages in Krishna district. Local public representatives and community elders inaugurated the competitions.
