When is Bhogi?
In some states in southern India, the first day of the four-day Pongal festival is known as Bhogi.
The date corresponds to the final day of the Tamil month Margazhi, and in the Gregorian calendar it is usually on 13th January, but can also take place on 14th January.
It is widely celebrated in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu.
Traditions of Bhogi
Bhogi is the last day in which the sun moves south before the start of Uttarayana, the time when the sun starts to move northwards after the winter equinox.
To mark this auspicious change in the seasons, it is a day of cleaning and cleansing; old clothes and other unused items are thrown away, marking the start of new life.
At dawn, people or neighborhoods often light a bonfire with logs of wood, solid fuels and wooden furniture and other waste items that are no longer useful.
The idea is to get rid of old things and concentrate on change and transformation that the change in the seasons marked by Pongal signifies.
On Bhogi people may create colourful geometric floor and ground designs in rice flour and flower petals (rangolis) as good luck symbols to welcome the Sun's new cycle.
In rural areas, this time is closely associated with the harvest. Indra, the god of rain, is worshipped and people seek his blessings for a successful harvest, prosperity and happiness.
