Happy Pongal and Sankranth

Don't be to surprised. It's another holiday in India. The schools get 3 days off for the celebration and most office workers get 2 days. It is a celebration of harvest time. (Hindu of course) Many people go to their Village of origin and celebrate with their families.
There are cooking contests.
Kite flying contest.

Many people show their artistic

ability by using a powdered paint to decorate the ground or the road in front of their home. They pick the paint up with their fingers and sprinkle it and it comes out looking like this. It comes out of their fingers looking like liquid. Those who do it can make a straight line without any problem. I'd have powder everywhere if I tried this.

Such a variety of patterns.

This is our street and you can see the women and children bent over working on their artwork. They start by outlining what they are doing with white powder.

You can see she painted from the inside out. She's working on the white border around the outside. The children were thrilled I was taking a picture. The little boy fartherest away shakes my hand so hard everytime I come out of the apartment. He has the biggest grin.

They spend 1-3 days getting these ready.

Mostly women doing the art work but sometimes we see young boys doing it too!. I don't think we've ever seen grown men doing the artwork. They too were happy I would take their picture.

They put incense and other things in the middle of this like they do on their doorsteps for special occassions. At night they burn their old things, (clothes or whatever) and dance around the fire.

Some more of our little handshaking friends that call me "Auntie" and Elder "Uncle." There mother's work in the background.

Kite tents and displays have been going up all over Hyderabad. Everyone buys a kite and today, January 14th is the big kite flying day. We counted 10 kites caught in 1 tree, 1 in an electrical line (Looked dangerous). Kite material was the business to be in the last few days. That's Adam to the right of Elder Kasper.