FESTIVE MOOD: A scene at Sri Krishnarajendra Market in Bangalore on Sunday on the eve of Makara Sankranti. — Photo K. Murali Kumar

Bangalore: The city wore a festive look on Sunday, with many people going to the market places for their last minute shopping.

There was a rush for flowers, sugarcane, sugar-candy sculptures and "yellu bella" (sesame, dry coconut, groundnut and jaggery mix) on Malleswaram 8th Cross.

The scene at the other markets such as SKR Market and Gandhi Bazaar was similar.

The sugarcane sellers and shops selling sugar candy sculptures and "yellu bella" saw brisk sales.

People were seen bargaining with them for a better deal. A pair of sugarcane pieces that cost Rs. 30 a few days ago was being sold at Rs. 50 in a few markets.

Two varieties of sugarcane are available in the market — a darker variety that is supplied to the city from different districts in the State and a lighter and thinner variety that is from Tamil Nadu.

However, both the varieties are being sold at more-or-less the same price. P. Lakshmidevi, a housewife, said that she always buys sugarcane on the day before the festival.

"That way, I know they will still be juicy. Sugarcanes tend to dry up. I like to give away fresh ones," she said.

She said that she makes the sugar-candy sculptures and "yellu bella" herself.

"I am not satisfied with the quality of the sugar-candy sculptures and `yellu bella' that is sold in shops across the city. For several generations, my family has been making these things at home itself," she said.

On the day of Sankranti, women of the household wake up early to worship and offer the sweetmeats to the Sun God.

The festival is usually celebrated to commemorate the harvest season.

The "yellu bella" is ideal for the winter. "All the ingredients have oil content that is good for the skin that tends to get dry during the winter months.

In the evening, women go to their relatives house to exchange the goodies," she added.

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