Harvest Festivals
Harvest Festivals
• It’s the time when a crop is sown by the farmers and is ready for reaping.
• Harvesting is a time of rejoice and celebrations for people. Each place in India has its own festival
celebrating this time.
• Makar Sankranti marks the transition of the Sun into the zodiac sign of Makara rashi (Capricorn)
on its celestial path.
• It is usually celebrated on January 14th to honor the god of the sun, Surya.
• Held from 1st to 15th September every year, to promote and maintain the rich heritage of Ladakh’s
age-old culture.
• There is archery for males and dancing for females and mask dances by the lamas of sacred
monasteries.
• Dramas or ‘ Chhams’ are performed to display life and teachings of Buddha and different dance
forms of Tibetan culture.
• A procession is also carried out through the streets of Leh on the last day.
• It marks the time for harvest of the rabi crops and farmers express their gratitude to God for good yield.
• Sikhs visit Gurudwaras, read the holy Granth and pay their respects.
Bhangra Gurudwaras
• It marks the end of the chilly winter and welcomes the arrival of spring and New year. Lohri is the
longest night of the year.
• In the morning, children go from door to door singing songs in praise of Dulha Bhatti, a Punjabi
version of Robin Hood who robbed from the rich and helped the poor.
• In the evening, people gather around bonfires, throw sweets, puffed rice and popcorn into the
flames sing popular folk songs and exchange greetings. This is symbolic of the homage to the Sun
God for bringing in warmth.
• Tokhu means going out in groups from house to house, taking food and drinks. Emong means the
Halt on the appointed time.
• Celebrated in the first week of November every year and it lasts for 9 days.
• The people rejuvenate themselves after a tremendous hard work on the fields and celebrate this post
harvesting festival by making merry and rejoicing.
• Tokhu Emong is also a celebration about brotherhood, forgiveness and oneness. It is celebrated
through sharing of food, gifts, folklore narration and a sumptuous community feast.
• It refers to a set of three different festivals: Rongali or Bohag Bihu observed in April, Kongali or Kati
Bihu observed in October, and Bhogali or Magh Bihu observed in January.
• The Rongali Bihu is the most important of the three celebrating the Assamese new year and the
spring festival.
• The Kongali Bihu or the Kati Bihu is the sombre, thrifty one reflecting a season of short supplies
and is an animistic festival.
• The Bhogali Bihu or the Magh Bihu is the one that is all about food.
Bihu dance
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Wangala
• Celebrated by the Garo tribe, who live in Meghalaya and Assam.
• Women wear their traditional colorful clothes and dance while men rhythmically drum their fingers
on the traditional drum pads.
• Wangala is celebrated in the months from September to December, with different villages setting
different dates for the occasion.
• There are social gatherings that are held between friends and families and everyone rejoices and has
a great time.
• The end of the Chumpha Festival in Manipur is marked by a procession that is carried out within
the village premises.
• Its celebrated to give thanks by cheerful dances and songs along with Miss Kut contest in the honor
of the giver of a plentiful harvest.
• Arisa pitha is prepared to celebrate this festival. It’s a pancake from Orissa made of sugar and rice
flour.
• The word ‘ Hareli ' is derived from the Hindi word ‘ Haryali ' meaning greenery.
• Tribes worship farm equipment, cows and pray Goddess “Kutki Dai” for good crops along with
many social and cultural events.
• The Hareli festival of Chhattisgarh is also marked by playing ‘ Gedi'. It is a play where small
children mount on bamboo sticks and walk round the fields. At some places they also take part in a
“ gedi" race.
• It falls during the month of Chingam (August-September) the first month of the Malayalam
Calendar (Kollavarsham).
• Celebrated to welcome mythical King Mahabali(a legendary ruler), whose spirit is said to visit
Kerala at this time and to assure him that his people are happy and wish him well.
• It’s celebrated with many cultural events like Vallam Kali(boat races), Pulikkali(Tiger dance),
Pookalam(floral carpet),Onnathappan(worship), Vadam Vali(Tug of War) and Thiruvathirakali
other celebrations.
Chenda Melam
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Tenth day- Thiruonam
• It’s also called “Second Onam”.
Kerala Saree
• Forth Onam also called as Chathayam is celebrated as Narayana Jayanthi( in honor of Sree Narayana
Guru- a famous social reformer of Kerala).
• The ten days festival concludes with a splendid dance procession in Thrippunithura.
• It is a four-day festival which according to the Tamil calendar is usually celebrated from 14 January
to 17 January.
• This is the day when old things are discarded, house is cleaned, painted and decorated to give
festive look.
• At dawn, a fire is lit, old and useless things are burnt. It also symbolizes burning of the society from
bad and the evil.
• Girls dance around the bonfire, singing songs in praise of the Gods, the spring and the harvest.
• During the festival, milk is cooked in a pot. When it starts to bubble and overflows out of the vessel,
freshly harvested rice grains are added to the pot. At the same time other participants blow a conch
called the sanggu and shout "Pongalo Pongal!”. They also recite "Thai Pirandhal Vazhi Pirakkum"
("the commencement of Thai paves the way for new opportunities"). This is repeated frequently
during the Pongal festival.
• The Pongal is then served to everyone in the house along with savories and sweets such
as vadai, murukku, paayasam.
blowing a conch
Traditional dresses
• Its celebrated by villagers to thank the cows for their favor in farming.
• Cows are decorated with manjalthanni (turmeric water) and oil. Apply kungumam (kumkum) to
their foreheads, paint their horns and feed them a mixture of venn pongal, jaggery, honey, banana
and other fruits.
• Features of the day include adventurous games such as the Jallikkattu or bull taming
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haLimnzibxY).
• Brothers pay special tribute to their married sisters by giving gifts as affirmation of their filial love.
Landlords present gifts of food, clothes and money to their tenants.
• Villagers visit relatives and friends, while in the cities people flock to beaches and theme parks with
their families.
• Every festival has a social, religious and mythological value. Festivals also teach us how to fight evil
and falsehood and establish truth.
• People observe these festivals with great devotion as they believe that festivals purify their minds
and inspire them to lead a better and purer life.
• All the people, irrespective of their social position, observe these festivals with their families and
also socially with their friends with great enthusiasm.
• It is our sacred duty to celebrate these festivals with a sense of purity and sanctity. We should keep it
free from communalism, narrowness and nasty politics.