Saturday afternoon was the occasion for the Bathukamma Festival of Flowers Celebration at Bear Hollow Elementary in Rancho Cordova. Hosted by the Sacramento Telangana Association, the festival was open to the public. Families and individuals of all ages came out and opened the traditional Indian celebration to the community, featuring music, dancing, free food and warm welcomes for all who attended.

The festival honors and promotes a sense of community and has special significance to the state of Telangana in India. “The main theme of the festival is female empowerment, flowers and family. We hope this festival takes us through a journey of integrating multicultural (sic), arts, [and] environmental protection in our community,” said Anil Kondakrindi, one of the festival’s prime organizers and Vice President of the Sacramento Telangana Association.

Women have a pivotal role in the proceedings by collecting and arranging special flower arrangements which are, in part, in thanksgiving to nature for the gifts of beauty and ecological health the earth provides. According to Kondakrindi, “In Telugu language, Bathukamma means, ‘Mother Goddess Come Alive.”

“A festival celebrated by the women of the Telangana State, India, Bathukamma Festival represents cultural spirit of Telangana. Bathukamma is a beautiful flower stack, arranged with different unique seasonal flowers, most of them with medicinal value, in seven concentric layers in the shape of potter’s clay like a cone,” Kondakrindi explained.

Once the Bathukammas are placed together, women form a large, revolving circle around them, clapping and singing folk songs in the evening. “Women seek good health, prosperity and happiness for their families,” said Kondakrindi.

Rancho Cordova and surrounding areas have numerous immigrants from the state of Telangana. The festival itself is central to Telangana and the Sacramento Telangana Association wanted to share this very special event with Rancho Cordova because of the city’s unique ties to so many ethnic groups around the globe. The bright and beautiful floral arrangements echoed the bright and flowing traditional Indian garb worn by so many in attendance. This year’s festival welcomed approximately 2,000 people from Rancho Cordova and surrounding areas.