సంక్రాంతి · The harvest festival of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana — a four-day celebration of gratitude, family, and the changing seasons.
Sankranti, also known as Makara Sankranti, marks the sun’s transition into Makara Rashi (Capricorn) and the beginning of Uttarayana — the auspicious northern movement of the sun. Celebrated mid-January every year, it is one of the most beloved festivals in Telugu households, blending agricultural gratitude, ancestor reverence, and joyful community celebration.
While the rest of India observes a single day of Pongal or Uttarayan, Telugu families celebrate Sankranti across four meaningful days — each with its own customs, foods, and significance.
When is Sankranti?
Sankranti falls on January 14th or 15th each year, marking the end of winter and the beginning of warmer days. It is one of the few Hindu festivals based on the solar calendar rather than the lunar calendar, which is why its date stays constant year after year.
The word “Sankranti” comes from Sanskrit, meaning transition or movement — specifically the sun’s movement from one zodiac sign to another. There are 12 Sankrantis in a year, but Makara Sankranti is the most celebrated because it signals the longest awaited shift toward longer, warmer days.
The Four Days of Sankranti
Day 1: Bhogi · భోగి
The day of letting go
Bhogi is celebrated on January 13th. Early in the morning, families gather to light the Bhogi mantalu (బోగి మంటలు) — bonfires made from old wooden items, palm leaves, and discarded household objects. The fire symbolizes burning away the old to welcome the new.
Children and young women wear new clothes. Elderly women perform “Bhogi pallu” — a special ritual where regi pandlu (jujube fruits) mixed with petals, coins, and sugarcane pieces are showered on children’s heads to bless them with good health and prosperity.
Houses are deep-cleaned, courtyards are decorated with elaborate muggulu (rangoli designs), and the entire household enters a state of festive renewal.
Day 2: Sankranti · సంక్రాంతి
The main festival day
The actual Sankranti day on January 14th is the most significant. Families wake up before sunrise, take ritual baths, and offer prayers to the sun god (Surya). The day begins with a sacred bath in the river or with water touched by tulsi leaves.
Households offer fresh harvest grains, sweet dishes, and homemade pongal to the deities. Special offerings of til (sesame) and bellam (jaggery) represent unity and sweetness in relationships — Telugu families exchange these among neighbors with the saying “తిల-గుడ్ గటి, మీఠీ-మీఠీ బోలో” — eat sesame and jaggery, and speak sweet words.
This is also when Haridasus — devotional singers carrying brass pots on their heads — visit homes, singing songs of Lord Vishnu in exchange for grain or coins. Their melodious voices announcing Sankranti morning is one of the festival’s most cherished sounds.
Day 3: Kanuma · కనుమ
The day of cattle worship
Kanuma celebrates cattle and farming animals — recognizing them as essential partners in agricultural life. Cows, bulls, and oxen are bathed, decorated with turmeric, vermilion, and flower garlands. Their horns are painted in bright colors. They are then fed special meals of pongal and fresh fodder.
This is the day of Gangireddu (గంగిరెద్దు) — the traveling bull performers who decorate their bulls beautifully and visit homes. The bulls perform tricks, dance, and bow to bless families. Children eagerly wait for these visits, offering grain and money to the performer.
Kite flying reaches its peak on Kanuma. The skies of Andhra and Telangana fill with colorful kites of every shape — diamond, fish, butterfly, and traditional designs. Rooftops echo with shouts of “Cut!” as friendly kite battles unfold throughout the day.
Day 4: Mukkanuma · ముక్కనుమ
The day of family and feast
Mukkanuma is the final day, dedicated to family gatherings, feasting, and visiting relatives. Traditional non-vegetarian meals are prepared in many households, while vegetarian families prepare elaborate feasts with all the leftover Sankranti delicacies.
This day brings the festival to a gentle close — children play, elders rest and share stories, and families enjoy the warmth of being together.
Traditions & Customs
Muggulu · ముగ్గులు
Elaborate rice flour rangoli designs decorate every doorway. The intricate geometric patterns are believed to invite Lakshmi devi into the home. During Sankranti, designs are larger and often incorporate flowers and colored powders.
Gobbemmalu · గొబ్బెమ్మలు
Small mounds of cow dung adorned with turmeric, vermilion, and yellow chrysanthemum flowers placed on muggulu. They represent fertility and the goddess Lakshmi’s blessings on the home.
New clothes · కొత్త బట్టలు
Wearing new clothes for Sankranti is essential. Traditional silk sarees, dhotis, and special outfits for children mark the festive renewal of the household.
Til-Bellam exchange · తిల-బెల్లం
Sesame seeds and jaggery are exchanged between family and neighbors. This tradition symbolizes resolving past differences and beginning relationships afresh with sweetness.
Visiting elders
Touching the feet of elders to seek blessings is central to Sankranti. Newly married couples especially make rounds to all elder relatives, receiving gifts and good wishes.
Kite flying
Friendly kite competitions on rooftops as the sun begins its northward journey. The sky fills with vibrant colors and rooftops echo with shouts of “Cut!” all day long.
Special Foods of Sankranti
Sankranti is incomplete without its special foods — each dish featuring fresh harvest grains, jaggery, and sesame.
Pongal · పొంగలి
The signature dish
New harvest rice cooked with milk in an earthen pot until it overflows — symbolizing abundance. Both sweet pongal (chakkara pongali) and savory versions are prepared.
Ariselu · అరిసెలు
The classic sweet
Deep-fried rice flour discs sweetened with jaggery syrup and topped with sesame seeds. Crispy edges, soft centers — a labor of love made over multiple days.
Sakinalu · సకినాలు
The savory snack
Spiral-shaped, crispy rice flour snacks seasoned with sesame, ajwain, and spices. Made in batches and stored for weeks — a Sankranti staple in every Telugu home.
Bobbatlu · బొబ్బట్లు
Sweet stuffed bread
Flatbread stuffed with chana dal-jaggery filling, served warm with ghee. Also called Holige or Puran Poli elsewhere in India.
Til Ladoo · నువ్వుల ఉండలు
Sesame sweet balls
Round balls of roasted sesame seeds and jaggery. Sesame is considered warming for winter and is eaten and shared as blessings during Sankranti.
Pulihora · పులిహోర
Tamarind rice
Tangy rice flavored with tamarind, peanuts, curry leaves, and spices. Often offered as prasadam and packed for travel to relatives’ homes.
Regional Variations
Coastal Andhra
In Krishna, Guntur, and East Godavari districts, kite flying reaches its grandest scale. Coastal communities offer special prayers to the sea before sunrise on Sankranti morning. Prawns and fish feature prominently in Mukkanuma feasts.
Rayalaseema
In Anantapur, Kadapa, and surrounding regions, cattle decoration is extra elaborate, with farmers spending days preparing their bulls. Traditional folk arts like Burrakatha are performed in village squares throughout the four days.
Telangana
In Telangana, Sankranti has a more intimate family-centered feel. Sakinalu and Garijalu (sweet stuffed dumplings) take precedence. Sammakka-Saralamma fervor often blends into Sankranti celebrations in tribal areas.
The Significance of Sankranti
At its heart, Sankranti is a celebration of gratitude. Gratitude to the sun for warmth, to the cattle for labor, to the earth for harvest, to elders for wisdom, and to neighbors for community.
It marks the end of the dark, cold months and the beginning of warmer, longer days — a literal turning point in the year. The Bhogi fire, the new clothes, the cleaning of homes, the exchange of til-bellam — all symbolize letting go of the past and embracing the new.
For Telugu families, Sankranti is also when distant relatives return home, when grandparents tell stories to grandchildren, when forgiveness is exchanged with sesame and jaggery, and when the year truly feels like it has begun.
సంక్రాంతి సుభాకాంక్షలు · Happy Sankranti!
May this Sankranti bring warmth, abundance, and sweetness to your home and family.
Related reading:
Samskruthi — Telugu Culture & Heritage ·
All Telugu Festivals ·
Ugadi — Telugu New Year