Bonfires, Pongal pots & Meji flames unite Kolkata as communities celebrate harvest festivals

Kolkata: The city is resembling a miniature India with harvest festivals—Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Magh Bihu and Lohri—being celebrated across neighbourhoods and communities in the city between Tuesday and Thursday. On Tuesday, Lohri was celebrated with gusto at city clubs, housing complexes and family gatherings. Bonfires crackled in the courtyards as revellers broke into ‘bhangra', circling the flames and offering sesame, jaggery and popcorn. Tables were laden with traditional Punjabi fare as the festival marking the end of peak winter set a warm, convivial tone for the days ahead.Even as Lohri's embers glowed, preparations were underway in Tamil households for Pongal, the harvest festival that coincides with Makar Sankranti. Though far from Tamil Nadu, where Pongal is observed over four public holidays, the city's Tamil families found ways to preserve its essence within the rhythm of a working week. Kitchens became ritual spaces as clay pots were washed, adorned with turmeric and ginger leaves, and set to boil over with rice and milk — a symbolic gesture of abundance and prosperity."This ritual is non-negotiable," said Padma Roy of Burdwan, an active member of the Kolkata Tamil Association. "Every Tamil household must cook Pongal in a traditional pot and offer it to the Sun God. Both sweet and savoury versions are prepared to signify balance," she added. Beyond individual homes, the festival takes on a larger scale. On Jan 18, Tamil associations from across Kolkata will come together for a community celebration expected to draw around 500 people.Krishnaveni Viswanathan of Lake Avenue's Saastha Samooham Ayyappa Temple explained that Pongal traditionally unfolds over four days. "It begins with Bhogi, when old items are discarded in a symbolic cleansing. Thai Pongal follows, marked by floral rangolis, sugarcane offerings and cooking at an auspicious hour. Mattu Pongal honours animals and family bonds, with food offerings made for the well-being of brothers. Each day has its own meaning and precision," she said.A few kilometres away, the Assamese community is marking the same solar transition through Magh Bihu, also known as Bhogali Bihu. Defined by food, fire and fellowship, the festival signals the end of the harvest season. "It is the most awaited celebration of the year," said Orihana Ojah of the Kolkata Assamese Cultural Association. Festivities begin with Uruka, the eve of Magh Bihu, when families and friends gather around bonfires, cooking and eating together late into the night. At dawn, after a ritual bath, devotees offer prayers before the Meji — a towering structure of bamboo, straw and wood set ablaze as an offering to the sacred fire. Homes brim with rice-based delicacies such as ‘til pitha', coconut ‘pitha', ‘sunga pitha' and ‘laddoos', shared generously with neighbours and guests. This year, community celebrations in the city drew crowds of nearly 400, Ojah said.