On Sankranti eve, preparation for Burir Ghar underway in war footing

With just four days remaining for Poush Sankranti, villages under Kalyanpur have already slipped into a festive mood with preparations underway in full swing for the traditional Bengali harvest festival.

Though Poush Sankranti is traditionally observed on the last day of the Bengali month of Poush, it is also widely celebrated as Makar Sankranti in many areas with equal reverence and enthusiasm.

While the grandeur of the festival has faded considerably in urban centres due to rapid modernisation, it continues to remain a vibrant and emotionally charged occasion in rural and semi-rural areas.

In villages across the Kalyanpur, households are staying up late into the night preparing a variety of traditional rice-based delicacies. The aroma of rice flour, coconut, jaggery and newly harvested paddy has filled the air.

People of all age groups—from children and adolescents to young men and women—are actively participating in the festive preparations. One of the central attractions of the Poush festival is the ‘Burir Ghar’, a temporary structure made from harvested paddy straw after the crops are cut. More than just a structure, the Burir Ghar is considered as a symbol of Bengali culture.

The Burir Ghar becomes the hub of festivities the night before the Sankranti. It hosts cooking, community feasts, picnics, folk dances, music, etc. According to the almanac (the year-book referred for astrological references and calculations), Makar Sankranti falls on Wednesday this year, and hence preparation for ‘Burir Ghar’ already become visible across villages such as Ghilatali, Shantinagar, Kalyanpur, Kunjaban, Dwarikapur, Khas Kalyanpur and adjoining areas.

Local sources said that in this mixed population block comprising various communities and tribes, nearly 200 Burir Ghars are being constructed this year. According to locals, the celebrations are going to be full of enthusiasm and grandeur ahead of the Sankranti with a blend of arrangements like dance, music and community feasting during the festival.

In several localities, elders have also taken the initiative to organise religious programmes such as kirtan, Harir Lut and Nagar Kirtan at the Burir Ghars. Despite the biting cold over the past few days, villagers have been seen collecting paddy straw from the fields to complete the traditional structures, many of which are decorated with colourful designs and patterns.

The festivities traditionally conclude with an all-night celebration, followed by the ceremonial burning of the Burir Ghar at dawn, ritual bathing, and offerings to ancestors on the morning of Makar Sankranti.