Sankranti Festival 2025: Cockfight, Bullfight, and Rangoli Competitions!

The vibrant festival of Sankranti has once again brought immense joy and enthusiasm to villages across India, marking the beginning of the harvest season. Filled with traditional decorations, the delicious aroma of tasty preparations, and exciting competitions, the air is filled with excitement and community spirit.

The Importance of Sankranti

Sankranti is one of the most prominent festivals in India, which occurs to mark the beginning of the sun's movement towards the north. It is, therefore, time to celebrate the harvest season and also thank nature for its bounty. The festival has been associated with the worship of the sun god and is taken as a means of spiritual renewal and growth.

Traditional Celebrations

The Sankranti celebrations are marked by traditional decorations, which include beautiful rangolis and colourful flowers. The air is filled with the delectable smell of traditional sweets, such as pootarekulu, ariselu, sunnundalu, and payasam. Traditional competitions also mark the festival, including:

Cockfight (Kodi Pandem): A traditional competition where cocks are made to fight, and the winner is awarded prizes.

Bull Fight (Pasuvula Pandem): A competition in which the bull is made to fight, and the winner receives prizes.
Bullock Cart Races: This is a type of traditional race in which the bullock cart is raced and the winner gets prizes.
Rangoli Competitions: Rangoli competes, where the winner will be awarded prizes.
Kabaddi and Volleyball Tournaments: Traditional sports competition in which a team competes, and the winner gets prizes.
Community Spirit

It is a festival that brings people together, strengthening family bonds and feelings of community and brotherhood. People celebrate the Sankranti festival with their families and feel a sense of belonging and togetherness. The police also participate in the celebrations and organize competitions and events for the youth groups in all the villages.

Other Celebrations of Sankranti

Sankranti falls on the very first day Bhogi is taken. In the Telugu-speaking States, people light the Bhogi fires as a symbol to celebrate their days and perform other rituals of worship of the sun god as well. It is referred to as Pongal in Tamil. Pongal is a traditional celebration, people prepare the Pongal that is ready by taking paddy with rice and jaggery as major ingredients in Pongal preparing.

Makar Sankranti Festivals: Makar Sankranti in Maharashtra and Gujarat is known by the same name, where tilgul - a sweet prepared from sesame seeds and jaggery- is exchanged.

The Sankranti festival is a celebration of harvest, community, and tradition. It is the time when people express gratitude for the bounty of nature and get closer to their family members and community due to this harmony. As the festival approaches the end, the village indeed feels glad and thankful, full of hopes for prosperous harvest seasons.

Also read: Makar Sankranti Kite Flying Safety Tips: Avoid Accidents and Enjoy the Festival