Bhogi
Bhogi is the first day of the four-day Pongal festival and Makara Sankranti. According to the Gregorian calendar it is usually celebrated on 13 January. It is a festival celebrated widely in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
| Bhogi | |
|---|---|
| Official name | భోగి |
| Type | Seasonal, traditional |
| Significance | Midwinter festival |
| Celebrations | Bonfire |
| Begins | మాఘ మాసం |
| Date | 13 January(last day of Maarkali month) |
| Related to | Pongal (festival) Bihu (Bhogali / Magh / Bhogi in Telugu) lohri vishu vaisakhi Makara Sankranti |
On Bhogi, people discard old and derelict things and concentrate on new things causing change or transformation. At dawn, people light a bonfire with logs of wood, other solid-fuels and wooden furniture at home that are no longer useful.[1] The disposal of derelict things is where all old habits, vices, attachment to relations and material things are sacrificed in the sacrificial fire of the knowledge of Rudra, known as the "Rudra Gita Jnana Yajna". It represents realization, transformation and purification of the soul by imbibing and inculcating various divine virtues. Bhogi is celebrated the day preceding Pongal (festival). It is also being said that Buddha died in Bhogi Pongal at the time when Buddhism was being practiced all over India.
Tamil Nadu
The Pongal festival begins on the day called Bhogi Pongal, and it marks the last day of the Tamil month Marghazi.[2] On this day people discard old belongings and celebrate new possessions. The people assemble and light a bonfire in order to burn the heaps of discards. Houses are cleaned, painted and decorated to give a festive look. The horns of oxen and buffaloes are painted in villages. New clothes are worn to mark the start of the festival.[3][2] The deity of the day is [thanking to nature] – the god of rains, to whom prayers are offered, with thanks and hopes for plentiful rains in the year ahead.[3][2]
See also
- Pongal Festival
- Makar Sankranti
- List of Harvest Festivals
References
- Post Jagran Article 15 01 2014
- Prema Kasturi; Chithra Madhavan (2007). South India heritage: an introduction. East West Books. pp. 222–223. ISBN 978-81-88661-64-0.
- A Mani; Pravin Prakash and Shanthini Selvarajan (2017). Mathew Mathews (ed.). Singapore Ethnic Mosaic, The: Many Cultures, One People. World Scientific Publishing Company, Singapore. pp. 207–211. ISBN 978-981-323-475-8.