The festival of harvest, ‘Makara Sankranti’ was celebrated with great fervour in the city on Friday. The annual ‘Kichchu Haisuvudu’ (jumping oxen over fire), in Siddalingapura on Mysuru-Bengaluru- Road was the piece-de-resistance of the festival that pulled crowds in hordes irrespective of locals and foreigners.

Homemakers welcomed the festival with colourful ‘Rangolis’ decorated with flowers of various hues adorning the courtyard. Children dressed in traditional wears, visited their near and dear ones to exchange ‘Ellu-bella’ (Sesame and jaggery) along with sugar cane and sweet candies. Several organisations had organised events like singing competition, cultural programmes and poetry reciting competitions.

Hundreds of Tamil-speaking people along with Catholic Tamil Trust celebrated the fest by offering pooja and distributed sweets at Pushpashrama Church in Naidu Nagar. They enjoyed the day by singing songs and participating in other cultural activities. The celebration was aimed to unite people belonging to Tamil community and to exchange culture, said an organiser. People, irrespective of caste, creed and language also took part in the celebration.

Meanwhile, former mayor Ayub Khan, Congress City unit president T S Ravishankar and others distributed sweets, ellu-bella to muslims at Bidaram Krishnappa Road in city. In order to spread the essence of brotherhood, people from different communities were also involved in the festival, said P Prashanth, a Congress Corporator.

Kannada Sahitya Kala Koota and Hoysala Kannada Sangha, had organised ‘Sankranti Kavigosti, a poetry session at Kannada Sahitya Parishat district unit office at Mysuru Palace north gate to mark the festival.