Tag: Sankranti

Kanuma - A Festival for cattle

Kanuma – A Festival for cattle

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Our beloved Bharatvarsha is a land of ancient Vedic practices and a rich heritage emulated globally. We are in an agrarian country where we revere the fundamental points of agriculture. Our animal stock forms a veritable fulcrum.

In our ‘Sanatana Dharma’, there are many scientifically proven rituals that are dedicated to nurturing our livestock.

Among them, we pay our respects to our cattle throughout the year, especially through forty-three celebratory events like festivals, Bullock Cart Races, and so on.

Kanuma

Kanuma is a truly significant festival dedicated to cattle. It is celebrated in Andhra Pradesh as a part of the Sankranthi festival. Kanuma falls on the third day of this four-day-long festival. It is of special importance to farmers who consider cattle as a symbol of good fortune and prosperity.

In the phase of Uttarayana at a point when the nodal position of the Sun moves from the Southern Hemisphere to the Northern Hemisphere, Kanuma is enjoyed socially, religiously, and above all spiritually.

  • As per the Tamil Panchang (Almanac), the month is referred to as Marghazi, and
  • as per the Telugu Tithi, it is the auspicious month of Pushya.

The next day of Sankranti is the day of Kanuma. People must take a head bath on this day to get rid of Kanuma Peeda. Here a proverb is said “Even crows take a dip in the water “.

Kanuma is a festival of animals. Sankranti is the right time for farmers to express their gratitude to their cattle which played an important role in the harvest.

Hence farmers wake up early in the morning and clean their oxen. They paint their horns and decorate them with Marigold flowers. Then they feed them and give harati. ‘Go puja’ is also performed at the temples.

Kanuma Festival

  • Some farmers go to their fields, sacrifice a goat or sheep, and sprinkle the blood in their fields.
  • Some farmers take cooked rice and milk to the cattle shed offer some of it to the cattle and the remaining to their fields and scatter it there.

They believe that this offering keeps the ghosts away from their crops. On this day blessings are taken from the elders. Especially married women bless each other with turmeric paste for Sowbhagyam.

Dedicated to Cows

As per our Scriptures, Our Lord Sri Krishna saved His devotees in Gokulam from the devastation of a deluge. Our Lord picked up the mammoth Govardhan Mountain to protect the land, the human beings, and the livestock. It marks the victory of our Bhaktavatsala (the Protector of the Bhaktas) against Lord Indra.

This festival is dedicated to cows, bulls, and oxen which form the fundamental aspect of the agricultural plethora of our beloved Bharat.

Go Puja

Go Puja

An elaborate and spiritually uplifting Govardhan Puja or Go Puja is organized to worship the most holy Gomata (the Mother of all….the Cow). The rituals are vivid and soul enriching. The cattle are bathed and decorated with paint and ornaments on this day.

They are taken to nearby temples where rituals are performed for worship. The most healthy bulls are adorned with ornaments and are brought in for processions thus displaying a farmer’s grandeur. These processions are illustrated with ‘sannai’ music.

In some places, a typical practice named ‘Jallikattu‘ (it is a sport conducted for cows and bulls) is celebrated as a part of Pongal. Special dishes are a part of this festival. They are ‘ariselu’ made of rice flour and jaggery, ‘pulihora’, ‘laddu’, ‘sweet pongal,’ ‘moongdal payasam’, ‘bobbatlu’ or ‘puran poli’ and cracked wheat ‘halwa’.

jallikattu

Charity forms a pleasant part of the auspicious occasion of the Kanuma festival.

Mukkanuma

The concluding day of a four-day festival is mukkanuma, a joyful day. Cockfights, bullfights ram fights, etc. are organized with joy and pomp.

  • Some betting is done on cattle.
  • Rangoli competitions are conducted for women.
  • Children play with kites.
  • Kite flying also has a symbolic meaning.

It is said that the higher your kite goes, the higher you will rise in the future.

Bhogi Festival

Bhogi Festival

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Bhogi

The last day of Danus Sankranti is Bhogi. People celebrate it with great zeal and happiness as it is the first festival in the English New Year. One day before people collect derelict objects like broken furniture, spoiled mats, used brooms, used winnowers, logs and dry branches of the trees etc.

On Bhogi day in the early hours, they put bonfires in front of their houses with the collected objects. The series of bonfires in the streets feast our eyes with emitting flames and smoke.

Bhogi

Bathing

The cold atmosphere at that place turns warm gradually. Some people boil water in pots on these bonfires for taking oil bath with this water. In rural areas, women combine their hands with others hands and go around the bonfires by singing and dancing. Everyone cleans their houses and takes oil bath on Bhogi day. Some people go to the temple as it is the last day of Dhanurmasa.

Dhanurmasam – Goda Devi

Dhanurmasa is an auspicious month because Goda Devi, the incarnation of Bhudevi (the mother earth) worshipped Sri Ranganatha swami with her Tiruppavai pasurams during Dhanurmasam and married Ranganatha swami on this Bhogi day. In almost all Vaishnavite temples Goda kalyanam (marriage) with Ranganatha swami will be performed on Bhogi day.

The idol of Goda Devi will be brought to the Kalyana Mandapam in a Bhogi chariot which is specially made for this occasion.

Goda Devi drew rangoli to invite Lord Krishna

The special attraction of Bhogi is felt with the colorful rangoli drawn in front of the houses. It indicates the beginning of Dhanurmasa and goes up to Mukkanuma. It is said that Goda Devi drew rangoli to invite Lord Krishna to her house.

During Danurmasa unmarried girls get up before dawn and draw rangoli in front of their houses. Then they worship Lord Krishna to bless them with the best bridegroom.

Various kinds of rangoli like flowers, birds, animals, musical instruments, dolls, flower vases, pots, and sugar cane can be drawn during an entire festival month.

Bhogi Rangoli

Some women arrange gobemmalu (gobemmalu are cow dung balls which are decorated with turmeric powder, red vermilion powder, flowers, and different types of grains) in between rangoli, one in the middle and the remaining around it.

The middle one is treated as Krishna or Gauri Devi and the remaining are treated as gopikas. These gobemmalu are then dried and used as fuel for cooking payasam on Rathasaptami or on Sankranti.

Magha suddha Saptami is Rathasaptami, the birthday of the Sun god. The other special attraction of Bhogi is Haridas.

Haridas especially dress in saffron clothes, applying namams on their forehead, putting a bowl like a pumpkin on their head, holding cymbals in one hand and thambura in another hand, and fitting anklets to their legs. They are considered as a replica of sage Narada, a divine devotee of Lord Vishnu.

Rangoli during Bhogi

They walk along the streets by singing sundarakanda and Bhagavatam during Dhanurmasa. They create a devotional atmosphere there. It is believed that they should not be sent away without giving any alms. They accept rice, money, vegetables and other offerings.

In some places, an old tradition of Bhommalakoluvu is seen. It is showcasing dolls for 3 days commencing with Bhogi. Women and children arrange the dolls aesthetically and thematically. They invite neighbors and friends and distribute Thambulam (Betel leaves and nuts with Bananas) as part of the tradition.

Special food items

At houses

  • Tamarind rice,
  • hot Pongal,
  • bobattlu/poli/poornalu (prepared with atta/ liquid rice flour and paste of jaggery and Bengal gram).

In the evening the elders in the house pour a mixture of flower petals, jujube berries, pieces of sugar cane, and coins (called Bhogi pallu) on the heads of the children to protect the children from an evil eye. They invite neighbors on this eve.

Makara Sankranti

Makara Sankranti

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Makara Sankranti is one of the biggest festivals celebrated by the Indians

Sankranti – Four Sankrantis are Main

The sun changes from one zodiac sign to another zodiac sign once every 30 days. The time at which the sun changes the zodiac sign is called ‘Sankramanam‘. The day on which sankramanam occurs is called ‘Sankranti’.

There are 12 Sankranti in a year. Among them, 4 Sankrantis are very important. They are

  • Mesha Sankranti,
  • Karkataka Sankranti,
  • Dhanus Sankranti and
  • Makara Sankranti.

Uttarayanam & Dakshinayanam

A period of six months is called ‘Ayanam’. Two Ayanams or one year is equal to one day for God.

  • The first six months which is called Uttarayanam is a day – Uttarayanam begins with Makara Sankranti and ends with Karkataka Sankranti
  • The remaining six months which is called Dakshinayanam is a night for Gods – Dakshinayanam begins with Karkataka Sankranti and ends with Makara Sankranti.

Danus Sankranti comes just one month before Makara Sankranti.

Makara Sankranti

Makara Sankranti is one of the biggest festivals celebrated by the Indians. Though the origin of the festival is not known exactly, it is traced back to the time of Aryans who worshipped the Sun God to save and protect them from the hot sunny summer and cold winters.

In Andhra Pradesh, Makara Sankranti is celebrated for 4 days.

  • The first day is Bhogi.
  • The second day is Makara Sankranti and
  • The third day is Kanuma and
  • The fourth day is Mukkanuma.

Uttarayana Punya Kala begins with Makara Sankranti. It is believed that people who die during these six months will go directly to Vaikuntam. This is the reason why Bhishma in Mahabharata who got voluntary death as a boon from his father waited until this time to leave his body.

People drop Tila tarpan (dropping black sesame seeds with water) to their dead ancestors to liberate them from the sins they committed and to let them continue their journey to Vaikuntam.

Makara Sankranti

Preparations on the day of Sankranti

Sankranti is a festival in reverence to the deity Surya. So women wake up before dawn, clean their courtyard draw beautiful rangoli, and fill rangoli with various colors.

Then they decorate the entrance of their house with marigold festoons and the thresholds by applying turmeric and vermilion paste.

After taking a bath and wearing new clothes they worship the sun god and offer payasam. This payasam is cooked in specially decorated earthen pots on the flame lit with cow dung cakes (which have been preserved for it) under the pavilion of sugar cane sticks in the presence of the Sun god.

Sankranti is a harvest festival. So Goddess Lakshmi will also be worshipped in the names of Dhanya Lakshmi or Sankranti Lakshmi to bless the farmers with good yields.

The new sons-in-law are invited to their parents-in-law for Sankranti along with their better halves for a big feast. Garelu (made of a black gram), Arisalu/ attirasalu (made of rice flour and jaggery) along with other items are served in the meal on this day.

Attraction of Sankranti

The big attraction of Sankranti is gangireddu. Gangireddu is a sacred bull that is considered a form of Nandhiswara, a divine vehicle of Lord Siva. They are decorated with various clothes and with ringing bells around their neck and led by their master.

GangiReddu - Makara Sankranti

The master goes house to house along with the bull and an accompanying person. The master plays Nadaswaram and the accompanying person beats dolu. It symbolizes the upcoming good luck of the householders.

The Puranas say that on this day the Sun visits the house of his son Shani who is head of the Makara Rasi. This day symbolizes the healthy relationship between father and son.