Chennai celebrates Bhogi marking beginning of Pongal festival

Bhogi festival is celebrated in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and people this year usually avoided burning plastic.

Bhogi is a part of Pongal festival in Tamil Nadu where useless household articles are put in the bonfire. Pongal is a festival that marks the end of the winters and the beginning of the harvest season.

In Chennai's Nerkundram, people celebrated Boghi by lighting the 'Bhogi Manta' or a bonfire while the children beat the drums.

Meanwhile, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu extended his greetings to the people on 'Bhogi' and celebrated the festival with his family members by lighting a bonfire on the occasion.

As a part of the traditional welcome of Pongal, women drew colourful rangoli outside their house.

Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Tuesday celebrated the festival of Pongal with her family by preparing Pongal dish at her residence here.

"Happy Pongal to all," she said in a tweet in which she also posted a video showing rituals of Pongal. The four-day harvest festival is dedicated to the Sun God.

According to tradition, the day marks the end of the winter solstice and the start of the sun's six-month-long journey.

To mark the festival, the Pongal sweet dish is prepared and is first offered to the Gods and Goddesses followed sometimes with an offering to cows, and then shared with the family.