Bengaluru: The Kannada and Culture Department jointly with the Agriculture Department has organized ‘Suggi Huggi’, a first-of-its-kind festival at Lalbagh on Sunday. Over 25,000 people witnessed the activities at the festival.

The festival drew from the cultural heritage of all eight regions of Karnataka — Hyderabad-Karnataka, Malnad, Are Malnad, Mysuru region, central Karnataka, Mumbai-Karnataka, Bayalu Seeme and Karavali. The various ways in which Sankranti is celebrated in these regions were unravelled at the event.

Folk songs and dances were also performed throughout the day. Free sampling of Sankranti delicacies—huggi and pongal—kept visitors satiated. Dileep Chatterjee, a system analyst, was exhilarated after watching fire-jumping by bulls, the mainstay of Sankranti celebration.

Kichchu Haayisuvudu, as the event where cattle jump over the fire is called, is basically to ensure that they are rid of unwanted insects on their body.