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Next: about 16 Jan 2027

Kanuma

The day after Sankranti in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, when cattle are washed, decorated and fed in thanks for the harvest.

A tile drawn for this day, not a photograph.

Cattle at Kanuma

In the Telugu states the Sankranti festival runs over three or four days, and Kanuma, the day after the main festival, is for the animals. Cattle are bathed, their horns are painted and tipped with metal caps, and they are hung with bells, flowers and coloured cloth. Farmers offer them a special feed and thank them for the work of the year, and in many villages the animals are led round the fields. Kanuma is also a day for family meals, and in some districts for cattle races and the showing of prize bulls. The Ongole bull of coastal Andhra, white and humped, is the pride of many of these gatherings.

The breeds

OngoleThe large white bull of coastal Andhra, shown and decorated at Kanuma.PunganurThe dwarf breed of Chittoor, kept by many households and temples.
About this page

Written by the EveryCow desk with AI assistance. Background: "Sankranti" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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