Importance of Bhogi Mantalu (Bonfire)

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Importance of Bhogi Mantalu (Bonfire)
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Where I come from, winter is always the most welcome season of the year. Waking up to foggy mornings bundled up in warm woolens. Cuddling up with your loved ones while sipping on a warm cup of coffee. Enjoying the warmth of bright bonfires. Winters are so dreamy and cozy.

 

Summers, on the other hand, are literally mourned. I wouldn’t blame anybody for that because the heat can be really cruel. In many parts of the world, I’m sure people feel the same about harsh winters. Well, the good part is that seasons come and seasons go.

 

What I love particularly about our country though is that we are ready to put the complaining about the weather on hold with the slightest reason to celebrate.

 

Have you ever thought of how the changing of seasons often coincides with the most popular festivals?

 

When Diwali is around the corner, you know you can expect some lovely cold days ahead. Similarly, Sankranti is the festival that announces the arrival of Spring and Summer.

 

Now if you think that festivals and changing seasons come together coincidentally, you are wrong. There is a deep connection that they share.

 

The more commonly understood significance of Sankranti is that it is a harvest festival. Which it is. This is quite an important time for farmers across our country as the crops that they have toiled over for months together are now ready.

 

Though the actual reason for this festival is to celebrate “movement.” To celebrate change. This is the time of the year that marks the movement of the sun from the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere towards the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere. It marks the end of the winter solstice and the start of the spring season. It’s a festival welcoming longer and brighter days.

 

It’s pretty cool when you come to think of it – the celestial connection of a festival that you thought was just for flying kites.

 

If you are generally curious about what’s in a name, I’m sure you would have figured out this fun fact too. The name Makar Sankranti comes from the name of the Zodiac sign Makara or Capricorn.

 

The movement of zodiacs happens throughout the year. Going by this explanation, there are actually 12 Sankrantis in the year, but just the one in January is celebrated quite grandly.

 

Lohri in North India, Sukarat in Central India, Bhogali Bihu in Assam and Pongal in the South are some of the names of this festival. Your familiarity with the name will depend on the region you come from. While some of the rituals vary by region the essence remains the same. Makar Sankranti is a festival celebrating change, the only constant in our lives. With lots of colour and joy.

 

The celebrations last for four days and are packed with some very meaningful rituals. The first day is what is known as Bhogi. Let’s talk about how it typically unfolds.

 

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Because cleanliness is only next to godliness

 

Festivals are such a good excuse for us to finally pull up our sleeves and clean our homes. Our lives are so busy and hectic that often times we don’t end up scrubbing every corner of our house as much as we’d like to.

 

Before the start of the Sankranti season, most people even like to whitewash their houses. It’s wonderful how keeping our homes, bodies, and minds clean tops the list for any religious activity.

 

Out with the old, in with the new

Sankranti is the celebration of a transition. So it’s quite natural that the rituals are centered around moving out the old and bringing in the new. As we clean our homes, we also collect all the old things that we wish to discard. Buying new clothes for every festival is so much fun, discarding the old ones even more so.

 

This ritual feels quite refreshing in itself and it symbolizes letting go of everything that is undesirable in our lives. Almost like a cleansing ritual preparing for the beginning of a new area.

 

Bright colours and fresh fragrances 
The fragrance of fresh marigold flowers and crisp mango leaves is my favourite part of Sankranti.

 

The orange and green from the flowers and leaves are beautifully complemented with floral designs on the floor called “Kolam”. We make these using rice flour paste.

 

“Gobbemma” or fresh cow dung cakes are also placed on these designs along with lamps.

 

Giving thanks for a bountiful harvest 

Farmers use the fresh paddy harvested from their fields as a part of the rituals on this day. This is where you can again start seeing the connection of this festival with the harvest. Sankranti is particularly important for farmers who celebrate this as a harvest festival.

 

All the farming equipment used to grow the crops are cleaned and decorated with kumkum and sandalwood paste. These are then worshipped before the first crop of paddy is cut. It’s lovely watching the farmers show their gratefulness towards mother nature for their livelihood.

 

What’s a festival without good food?

And what better way to show that we are thankful for the abundance of food we have than by creating delicious preparations for the family. On this day, farmer’s households cook food with freshly harvested rice, jaggery, and turmeric.

 

Bhogi Mantalu or Bonfire

Bhogi Mantalu or the bonfire is the most important ritual of this day. It is this ritual that quite literally makes you throw out the old by burning it. A bonfire is lit spreading warmth and gratefulness all around to mark this new beginning. This ritual is quite symbolic because it also emphasizes on letting go of all anger, hate, and worries.

 

Ghee, cow dung cakes, wood, and other old items are sacrificed in this fire while the women sing songs and chant mantras praising the Gods. It’s quite a beautiful sight watching them as they walk around the fire with so much devotion and joy.  Dressed in their traditional best, it’s really a treat to the eyes watching the families in their most colourful attire.

 

The cleaned and decorated tools are also included as a part of this ritual. The crops are cut with these blessed tools once the Pooja is completed.

 

This is not just any Bonfire. It has so much significance. First of all, it is a way of getting rid of any agricultural waste. The burning of this waste along with gobar and ghee is said to even purify the air. It’s such a nice way to give thanks for the main source of livelihood.

 

Everything we spoke about so far might make a lot of sense to you. But I’m going to guess the question on your mind.

 

Why Gobar (cow dung)?

 

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Is this the first time you are hearing about cow dung being used to create a holy fire? Well, this ritual is anything but new or uncommon. The symbolism of this goes something like this:

 

Burning of cow dung and ghee is said to purify the home. Which is why a lot of spiritual fires or “yagnas” have these two vital ingredients. Scientifically speaking, burning cow dung has anti-pollution and anti-radiation benefits as well. It contains something similar to penicillin, known for its use in curing diseases and also as a disinfectant. In fact, dried and burned cow dung is even used in some medicines and tooth powders.

 

The main focus of the Bhogi Mantalu is also to get rid of the old. Cow dung along with other agricultural waste is what can be considered as old and therefore something to let go of before the fresh harvest is obtained. This cycle continues year on year.

 

And that’s the story of the first day of Sankranti, Bhogi. The start of a new season and all things fresh and new. As the cold weather slowly subsides over the next three to four weeks, the summer returns. In full swing. Until next year…

Importance of Bhogi Mantalu (Bonfire)

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