The seashore beeches of Visakhapatnam were lit with Bhogi bonfire and people in the Steel City were enjoying the fire side celebrations. First day of Sankranti celebration start with Bhogi mantalu, bonfire lit early in the morning, it’s a sight to be experienced on a dawn of cold January winter. The entire city marked the beginning of the four day ritual with midnight bonfire. People along with children dared the cold winter and came out in large numbers and lit bonfire all across the city. The fire that speared through the darkness brought joy on the onlooker’s eyes.
Sankranti Sambaralu is all about togetherness and praying for God’s grace for a better yield year after year. The women folks were vying with each other in residential colonies in designing and rolling out muggulu of varied hues and sizes, often stretching from one end of the street to the other. Tradition households made gobbamma and placed them in the `rangoli’ and prayed. The entire household have oil bath. The `gangireddulavadu' walks through the streets sporting a decorative moustache with a decorated bull. `Haridasu’s’ praise the lord and wake the crowds. It is a jubilant part of the year when the agrarian based, reap their harvest. The harvested grains are first cooked as `pongal’ and offered to God.
