Hyderabad: Bhogi is the first day of Pongal, one of the most widely celebrated festivals in the country.

Pongal 2022 will begin on January 13 and end on January 16. It is a four-day harvest celebration. The Bhogi Festival, Thai Pongal, Mattu Pongal, and Kaanum Pongal are among the four-day events.

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According to the Tamil and Telugu calendars, Bhogi 2022 falls on January 14, 2022.

This harvest festival is mainly observed in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, and is also known as Pedda Panduga in a few places. Bhogi is a festival honouring Lord Indra, the God of Rains and Clouds, and it is a time when people pray to him for a bountiful crop and prosperity.

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What is the way it is celebrated?

People wish one another a Happy Bhogi Sankranti, draw Kolam patterns, share snacks, and welcome Lord Indra's blessings for the upcoming excellent agricultural year.

Bhogi festivities are centred on creating the traditional bonfire known as Bhogimantalu, in which people gather to create the fire out of wood and old items that have been neglected or are no longer in use, and then set it ablaze on the night before Pongal.

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They also burn agricultural waste in the bonfires while ladies dressed in new attire sing songs and make sandalwood paste and kumkum sacrifices to the Sun God and Mother Earth. Burning trash is a symbolic act of saying goodbye to the old and embracing the new. Women dress up in fresh outfits and sing songs.

Meanwhile, the state government conducts annual public awareness programmes in advance of the Bhogi festival to promote a smoke-free celebration.