From new-fangled Happy Makar WhatsApp texts to age-old rice dumplings (peethas) and Tusu fairs, people in and around the steel city plunged themselves in Makar Sankranti festivities on Wednesday.

This day is when the Sun moves from the Tropic of Capricorn towards the Northern Hemisphere, and is celebrated with variations across India — Magh Bihu (Assam), Pongal (Tamil Nadu), Uttarayan (Gujarat), to name a few. In vast parts of Jharkhand, it’s Tusu Parab.

Three major Tusu fairs were held in and around Jamshedpur, with big prize money in contests for Tusu idols and chaurals, and cockfights. While goddess Tusu is the symbol of harvest and fertility, chaurals are made of bamboo and symbolise happiness.

The Jharkhand Sanskritik Kala Kendra, a socio-cultural outfit organised the Tusu fair at Domuhani — the confluence of Subernarekha and Kharkai rivers in Sonari — keeping alive the ageless tradition of a fair at the place. People took part in the Tusu idol and chaural competitions with handsome prize money, the highest being Rs 15,000.

A Tusu fair was also held at the Bhuiyadih Durga Puja grounds by the Jharkhand Sanskritik Kala Rang Manch. Here, there were no contests, but rides, snack stalls and cockfights stole the show.

A Jharkhand Sanskritik Tusu Mela was organised at the Haat Maidan under Devghar panchayat in Bhilaipahari on the city’s outskirts. Contests for Tusu idols and chaurals were held with prize money going up to Rs 16,500, while the cash prize for the cockfight winner was Rs 4,100.

“This is the harvest season when we forget everything and tap our feet to the rhythm of maadol. Music and dance are the soul of this festivity. We have been organising this fair for years with the same enthusiasm,” said Mohan Karmakar, president of the Jharkhand Sanskritik Kala Kendra.

Right from lovebirds in cages to toys to snacks, everything is on sale at the Tusu festival in Domuhani. Tall chaurals, many even from villages on the borders of Bengal and Odisha, were brought here.

This apart, many people distributed food among the poor at Domuhani as Makar Sankranti is considered to be an auspicious day for charity.

At Bhilaipahari, fair organiser Pintu Dutta said they stressed on indigenous culture. “While contests attract large crowds, we ensure there’s a lot of folk dance and music. Sambalpuri, chhau, kathi, ghoda, Mundari dances are big draws.”

Members of Chandulal Bhalotia Social Welfare Trust feed people on the occasion of Makar Sankranti at Domuhani in the steel city on Wednesday