India is an agricultural country, in India, different crops are prepared in different states depending on the climate, on the basis of the same crops, many types of crop festivals are celebrated in India.
Harvest festivals of India
1. Makar Sankranti – Festival of faith and charity
The festival of Makar Sankranti, one of the main festivals of Hinduism, is celebrated with full fervor and enthusiasm throughout the country.
The festival of Makar Sankranti is also one of the festivals of colorful crops, the tradition of celebrating the festival of Makar Sankranti is a harvest festival in North India that has been going on for centuries.
Kite flying is also important in this festival. On this day, bathing the Ganges and donating other things including khichdi is also important.
On the day of Makar Sankranti, the Sun’s speed of Uttarayan starts, which is why auspicious works are started from this day. The special thing about the festival of Makar Sankranti is that it is celebrated every year on 14 January.
Location – mainly Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.
Celebrated on – 14 January
The main attraction of the festival of Makara – Sankranti – is kite flying, Kumbh Mela, sweet dishes made of sesame and jaggery.
2. Lohri – Folk Festival of Punjabis
The festival of Lohri is the main festival celebrated in North India. This festival is a major festival of people of Punjabi and Sikhism. It is celebrated as a harvest festival.
Nowadays, the festival of Lohri is celebrated with great pomp across India, but in Punjab and Haryana, this festival is quite popular.
This festival holds great importance for farmers, this festival has special significance for sowing and harvesting of the crop, farmers celebrate the holy festival of Lohri by dedicating their new crop to the fire god on this day.
The festival of Lohri is celebrated every year on the 1st day of Makarsankranti. These festivals are made in the open space, mainly outside the houses, people light a fire and then circle the drum on the banks of the fire and dance and greet each other with Lohri, on this day people, jaggery, Eat peanuts, revdis.
Place – Punjab, Haryana.
Celebrated on- January 13, the day before Makarsankranti.
The main attraction of the Lohri festival – Punjabi folk songs, Punjabi Bhangra dance.
3. Baisakhi – The sacred festival of Punjabis celebrated to the tune of drums, drums
The festival of Baisakhi is one of the major religious festivals in India. It is also called the festival of farming because when the Rabi crop is fully ripened, this festival is celebrated in its joy.
Farmers in India, especially in Punjab and Haryana, celebrate this festival to the tune of drums and drums, while the people of Punjabi and Sikh faith celebrate this festival as their biggest festival.
The festival of Baisakhi is celebrated every year on 13 or 14 April in the month of April. Langars are also organized at Gurudwaras on the occasion of this colorful festival.
Place – Punjab and Haryana.
Celebrated on – 13 April and 14 April.
The major attractions of the Baisakhi festival – Bhangra by men and Gidda by women.
4. Holi
Mythologies and religious beliefs are associated with this festival. It is considered a feast of the victory of truth over evil.
This festival of colors also has great significance for farmers because, from the time of Holi, farmers wait for the harvest of their wheat crop, so it is also celebrated as a harvest festival by the farmers of India, on the day of Holi in North India.
Celebrated on- on the full moon of the month of Phalgun.
Place- Delhi, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar.
The main attraction of Holi – Holi of colors, flowers, and flowers, sweet dishes like Gujiya, etc.
5. Ladakh Harvest Festival
Ladakh Harvest Festival is famous all over the world for its tradition, culture, civilization, heritage, and tribal lifestyle.
When Ladakh Harvest Festival begins, it looks beautiful and amidst the beautiful peaks of the Himalayas, one can see the amazing view of Ladakh’s folk culture.
On the occasion of this festival, the entire Ladakh city is decorated like a bride. Many social, cultural ceremonies are organized in this harvest festival, it also has a unique view of art and handicrafts.
Location – Ladakh, Zanskar, Kargil
Celebrated in September (between 1 to 15 September)
The main attraction of Ladakh Harvest Festival – Drama based on the life of Buddha and many dances related to Tibetan culture.
6. Basant Panchami – Birthday of Saraswati, the Goddess of Knowledge
Basant Panchami is one of the major festivals of Hindus, this festival marks the arrival of the spring season. This festival is celebrated in different ways in many states of North India.
This festival is celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of Saraswati, the Goddess of knowledge.
This festival is also very important for the farmers as the crops of wheat, barley, gram, etc. are prepared on Basant Panchami, so the tradition of celebrating this festival has been going on for centuries in the joy of ripening of these crops.
Wearing yellow clothes is important on this day because the yellow color symbolizes spirituality.
Celebrated on – Panchami date of Magh month.
The main attractions of Basant Panchami – Indian dishes, such as sweet rice, mustard greens, maize bread.
Crop festivals celebrated in South India
7. Pongal
Pongal is another name for Makarsankranti, which is celebrated with pomp in South India from 14 to 17 January. Worshiping the sun god is considered to be of great importance on this day.
It is the most colorful harvest festival in India, in which people express their gratitude to nature and thank nature for producing crops. On the occasion of this festival, people offer Shakrai Pongal, Ghee, Rice, Sugar.
Apart from this, animals are also worshiped here. Jallikattu is also celebrated at Pongal in some parts of Tamil Nadu.
Location – Tamil Nadu.
When is Pongal celebrated – between 14 and 17 January.
8. Onam
Onam is a famous agricultural festival celebrated in Kerala, it is celebrated with great fervor and enthusiasm in many states of South India. Let us tell you that this festival is celebrated in honor of King Mahabali.
This festival is celebrated every year in August and September for the yield of crops in the fields. Along with snake boat races in Kerala, Kathakali dance and many folk songs are also organized on the occasion.
On this occasion, houses are specially decorated with flowers. The festival of Onam is celebrated in Kerala for 10 days. People celebrate this festival with great pomp and joy with new hope and expectation.
Location- Kerala.
According to the Gregorian calendar, this festival is celebrated every year to August-September.
9. Ugadi / Ugadi
This festival is mainly celebrated in India in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra. This day is considered the beginning of the Yugadi, Kannada, and Telugu New Year. Ugadi festival is celebrated with great pomp on the first half-moon of Chaitra month.
This festival is celebrated every year in the months of March and April. This festival has special significance for the farmers because during this time the spring season has arrived in a good way and the crops are fully ripened.
People celebrate this festival with a new zeal and expectation. On this day, people wear traditional new clothes, celebrate beautiful rangoli in their homes and pray to God in their homes and pray for the well-being of their families.
Location- Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
When is celebrated – March – April.
10. Vishu – The day to worship Lord Krishna
In Kerala, the festival of Vishu is celebrated with great pomp, as the people of Kerala celebrate this festival with great pomp as the Malayali New Year. Worshiping Lord Krishna and Vishnu on this day has its own significance.
It is an agricultural festival. This festival is celebrated by different names not only in Kerala but also in many parts of India.
This festival has special significance for the farmers because during this time new crops are sown, while people pray to God for their good harvest. Along with this, women prepare many types of dishes in their homes on this day.
Crop festivals celebrated in the northeast of India
11. Festival of Wangala – A famous harvest festival (Wangala)
It is a famous festival celebrated by the Garo tribes in the northeast, it is one of the popular harvest festivals in India, marking the beginning of winter.
People worship Lord Surya with immense reverence and faith during this festival. On this day, women cook dishes in homes and put on new clothes.
This festival is also very important for the farmers because crops are harvested on this occasion.
Location – Meghalaya and Assam.
12. Bhogali Bihu – A festival of joy and happiness
The festival of Bhogali Bihu is the main festival celebrated in Assam. Every year in January, people here celebrate this festival with full zeal and enthusiasm.
It is also a major festival for farmers because during this festival farmers harvest their crops and thank God.
During the festival of Bihu, women make delicious dishes with new grains. Many types of programs are also organized on this occasion.
Crop festivals celebrated in East and West in India
13. Festival of Nawakhai – A festival of food grains worship
In Odisha, the festival of Nawakhai is celebrated with full fervor and gaiety. It is a major harvest festival. Nua in the local form means – Naya and Khai mean food.
In this festival people offer new grains and farmers thank the mother earth and wish them a good harvest.
Location- West Odisha
14. Gudi Padwa Festival
The festival of Gudi-Padwa, celebrated in Maharashtra, is a grand harvest festival. It is a tradition to celebrate this festival at the beginning of Chaitra month, from this day the new year of Hindus also begins.
Many mythologies and religious beliefs are associated with celebrating this festival. On this day people make beautiful Rangoli in their homes and make many types of dishes.
The day of Gudi Padwa is also associated with agriculture, because it is also the time for the harvest of the farmers, on this day, the farmers pray to God for a good harvest.
Location – Maharastra
15. Nabana – The Festival of the New Harvest
It is the festival of the most ancient and eminent traditions of Bengal, with a tradition of happily cutting paddy or rice crop, and keeping it in homes.
Most farmers living in Bengal follow this tradition and offer the first grains to Goddess Lakshmi.
16. Farmers’ folk festival “Hareli”
‘Hareli’ is one of the major harvest festivals in India. On this day, farmers clean and worship all the tools used in their farming.
In this festival celebrated in Chhattisgarh, making earthen bulls and doing puja is of special importance. Jaggery cheese is made in every house on this day.
There is also a tradition of worshiping the Kuldevata on this day. This festival is celebrated on the Amavasya of Shravan Paksha.
Location – Chhattisgarh.
Apart from this, many other crop festivals are celebrated in India, however, all the festivals celebrated in India are aimed at good harvest and yield.
