Border kolam designs New Year rangoli

 Rangoli borders can be drawn at doorways too (called vaasal padi kolam ).

The doorway is also decorated with a rangoli design in addition to the rangoli drawn at the entrance.

 Since only a width of 100 millimetre or so is available, very simple yet cute beautiful designs can be drawn in the available space.

Doorways or doorsteps are given a lot of importance in our culture.  There is a custom of performing Pooja 

to the door way and adorning with rangoli designs .  We also offer haldi kumkum and flowers particularly on Fridays.

So, we need lots of designs.  Since these rangolis have less height we can use them as borders for bigger rangoli.

Beautiful rangoli designs with or without chukki are drawn for New Year and Pongal.  Usually, they are decorated

with borders at the bottom and sides.  We may use these ideas on those occasions too.

The bottom pic showing mango leaves or maavilai patterns as we say are considered auspicious. Hence, we can use them for Friday or functions. 

 While to top one has more width and hence can be drawn just below the doorstep, the picture below can be drawn on the doorway or gadapa.

 For those of you who are new to this art of kolam, we draw patterns on the doorstep, then just below the doorstep.  Then next we draw a simple kolam or grand kolam depending upon the occasion.  Finally, borders are drawn below the main rangoli.  Sometimes we draw a border on either side of the main kolam too.

Border kolam designs for steps

My daughter-in-law is from Madanapalle, Annamayya district in Andhra Pradesh.  I was curious to find out their customs and traditions for Sankranthi.  She says that for Sankranthi they make a big rangoli (muggu) with cow dung cone called gobbi which is considered as Goddess Gowri or Gowramma placed at the centre of the muggu.  A pumpkin shaped rangoli is drawn and Pooja is offered to Her and the rangoli. 

Few decades back, a person called "Haridas" in local parlance come with a tamboora , singing songs in praise of Gods (Ganesh, Vishnu, Siva, Lakshmi etc) . Residents offered him money or freshly harvested rice. grains, pulses.

 Also, ox (edhu ) and its owner also came in the streets.  They played nadaswaram.  People offered clothes to the ox and rice to the owner.  The next day is celebrated as Kanuma.  There was competition among the bulls (racing).  Sankranthi is the most important festival called Pedda Panduga or the big festival.