VIJAYAWADA: The traditional ‘Bhogi’ celebrations marked the beginning of the three-day Sankranti festival that was observed with fervour and gaiety by the residents across the city on Sunday. Denizens gathered at different road junctions and streets in residential colonies to lit the Bhogi mantalu (bonfire) to usher in the Sankranti festivities.
The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) celebrated the Sankranti festival on a grand scale with its employees and public at the Indira Gandhi Municipal Corporation (IGMC) Stadium, here on Sunday morning. As part of the celebrations the women staff actively took part in the rangoli competition, with the decoration representing the culture and tradition of the State.
School students played the roles of “gangirerddu”, “Basavanna” and other traditional characters as they took part in the festivities. They also lit the Sankranti fire and cooked the ‘Payasam”. Like it or not, the banned blood sport as also the number games were part of celebrations in different parts of the State.