RangoliPongal and Sankranti rangoli
Makar Sankranti and Pongal, in mid-January, thank the sun for the harvest. Courtyards across the south fill with kolam and muggulu, and sun designs suit the day everywhere.
The tradition
In Tamil Nadu, kolam are drawn at dawn through the month of Margazhi, from mid-December to mid-January, and the largest are kept for Pongal. In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana the same art is called muggu, and Sankranti is the season of muggulu in every street. The designs are drawn with rice flour, which birds and ants can eat, so the first act of the day is a small gift of food.
Ideas for the day
- Draw the sunburst in the open courtyard, where the morning sun reaches it.
- Try a dot design in white, then fill parts of it with colour for the festival.
- Frame the design with the wave border, which looks like a line of kolam loops.
- Where kites are flown for Uttarayan, add small diamond kites around the sun using the diamond shape from the diamond chain.
Questions people ask
Why are kolam drawn with rice flour?
Rice flour is white, cheap and safe, and by tradition it feeds ants, birds and other small creatures. Today chalk powder and white stone powder are also used because they give a brighter line.
What is the difference between kolam and muggu?
They are regional names for the same kind of line-and-dot floor art: kolam in Tamil Nadu, muggu in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
When is Pongal?
Pongal and Makar Sankranti fall in mid-January, usually on 14 or 15 January. Check a calendar for the date in a given year.
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