Kanuma is the third day of the four-day Telugu Sankranti festival, dedicated to cattle and farm animals in gratitude for their year of labour. It falls the day after Makara Sankranti, in mid-January, and is kept with special devotion in the villages of Andhra Pradesh.
When: Third day of the Sankranti festival — the day after Makara Sankranti (mid-January)
Where: Andhra Pradesh, especially rural and coastal districts
Honoured: Cattle, bullocks and farm animals; Lord Krishna as Govardhana-dhari
Observance: Bathing and decorating cattle, feeding them festival food, family feasts, kite flying
Regional name: Kanuma (Telugu) · parallels Mattu Pongal in Tamil Nadu
The day of the cattle
The Telugu Sankranti is a four-day festival — Bhogi, Makara Sankranti, Kanuma and Mukkanuma — and Kanuma is the day the farmer turns to thank the animals that made the harvest possible. Tradition links the day to Lord Krishna lifting Govardhana hill to shelter the cowherds of Vrindavana and their cattle from Indra's rains; honouring cows and bullocks on Kanuma continues that spirit of gratitude and protection. In the agrarian rhythm of Andhra Pradesh, where bullocks ploughed the fields and cows sustained the household, Kanuma was never a minor appendix to Sankranti — for farming families it is the emotional heart of the festival. Even as tractors replace bullocks, the day keeps its meaning as a thanksgiving to all the living beings, and by extension all the labour, behind the food on the family's plate.
How Kanuma is observed
On Kanuma morning, cattle are bathed, their horns are cleaned and sometimes painted, and their bodies are decorated with turmeric, kumkuma, garlands and bells. The animals are fed specially prepared food — often the same festive dishes the family eats, along with fodder mixed with jaggery. A simple pooja is offered before them, with harathi, and in many villages the decorated cattle are taken in procession through the streets. Homes continue the Sankranti customs: fresh muggulu (rangoli) with gobbemmalu — small mounds of cow dung dressed with flowers — set at the centre, festive meals with garelu, boorelu and pulihora, and visits between relatives. It is also a favourite day for kite flying across Andhra towns. Many families avoid travel on Kanuma, holding to the old saying that one should not leave home on this day but stay with family.
Keeping Kanuma in Ottawa & Canada
Few Telugu families in Canada keep cattle, but the spirit of Kanuma travels well. Ottawa households can keep the day as the family-and-gratitude day of the Sankranti cluster: cook the traditional festive dishes, draw muggulu at the doorway or on a board indoors (a January necessity), and offer a short pooja thanking the sources of the family's food and livelihood. Some families extend the day's meaning by feeding birds, caring for pets with special attention, or donating to animal shelters and food banks — a natural Canadian translation of the festival's core idea. Since Kanuma follows Makara Sankranti, it usually falls around the middle of January; check the site's Sankranti dates for the exact day each year, and remember the tradition of spending Kanuma at home with family rather than travelling.
Each link opens our computed festival calendar with exact dates and timings for your city.
Questions
What are the four days of Telugu Sankranti?
Bhogi (discarding the old), Makara Sankranti (the main harvest thanksgiving), Kanuma (honouring cattle) and Mukkanuma (feasting and family outings). Kanuma is the third day, the day after Sankranti.
Is Kanuma the same as Mattu Pongal?
They are close parallels. Both fall on the day after the main Sankranti/Pongal day and both honour cattle, but Kanuma is the Telugu observance of Andhra Pradesh while Mattu Pongal is its Tamil counterpart, each with its own customs.
Why do people avoid travelling on Kanuma?
A widely kept Telugu tradition holds that Kanuma should be spent at home with family and the household's animals. Many families therefore plan journeys before or after the day rather than on it.