5 Harvest Festivals of India
India is often called âthe land of festivals.â One of the reasons behind this could be its highly diverse population consisting of thousands of ethnic groups and hundreds of languages, each with their own festivals. At the core of this diversity lies agriculture, which has for centuries defined the rhythm of life through the cycle of sowing and harvesting crops. Harvest season is a time for people to come together and celebrate the abundance of nature with gratitude and joy. Across different states in India, the traditions and rituals of these celebrations vary.
Read on to learn more about some harvest festivals of India.
Baisakhi
Baisakhi is a spring harvest festival celebrated primarily by Punjabis in India and around the world. Also spelled Vaisakhi, it is traditionally observed on the first day of the month of Vaishakha in the Hindu solar calendar, which falls in April on the Gregorian calendar. The annual festival is observed on April 13 or 14. Baisakhi celebrates the spring harvest of crops sown in winter (rabi crops), making it an important agricultural festival. However, as it coincides with the Hindu New Year for many communities that follow the solar calendar, variations of the festival are observed in other regions across India.
Baisakhi heralds the beginning of the harvest season in Punjab, and farmers come together to celebrate the abundance provided by nature. Wheat, the primary rabi crop in Punjab, reaches full maturity about this time. The festival serves as a moment of thanksgiving, in which prayers are offered for a prosperous harvest and continued fertility of the land. Many farmers seek divine blessings for favorable weather and a bountiful season.
Bihu
Bihu is celebrated in the Indian state of Assam. Bihu is an umbrella term for three distinct celebrations, each marking an important phase in the farming cycle. Bohag Bihu and Magh Bihu are joyous festivals that involve music, dance (the dance form is also known as Bihu), and feasting because they celebrate the onset of spring and the end of the harvest, respectively. Kati Bihu is a more somber occasion, when families offer prayers for a bountiful harvest.
- Bohag Bihu is celebrated on the first day of the month of Vaishakha (Bohag in Assamese) in the Hindu solar calendar. It heralds the Assamese New Year. Also referred to as Rongali Bihu (rong means âcolorâ and connotes joy), Bohag Bihu is celebrated over seven days in spring.
- Kati Bihu is celebrated in the Hindu calendar month of Karttika (Kati in Assamese; falling in October), when rice saplings are transplanted and granaries are mostly empty. As a result, this is a more somber celebration than Bohag Bihu and Magh Bihu, and it is thus referred to as Kongali (âpoorâ) Bihu.
- Magh Bihu is celebrated on the cusp of the Hindu calendar months of Pausha and Magha (mid-January). It is a harvest festival that marks the entrance of the Sun into the astrological sign of makara (corresponding to Capricorn) and the beginning of the Sunâs uttarayana (northward journey). This Bihu is also called Bhogali Bihu and includes feasts to celebrate the bountiful time of the year.
Lohri
Lohri (pronounced LOH-dee) is a harvest festival celebrated each year on January 13 by many communities in India. It is the first festival of the Gregorian calendar year for many communities and is celebrated primarily in Punjab, northern India. It is also observed with fervor in the national capital of New Delhi and other northern Indian states such as Himachal Pradesh and Haryana.
Lohri is traditionally observed on the last day of the Hindu calendar month of Pausha (DecemberâJanuary). The holiday celebrates the incoming month of Magha, which typically falls between January and February. Magha is considered important because it marks when the Sun starts to transition into the zodiac sign of makara according to sidereal time, which is based on the positions of stars. Simply put, Lohri is a celebration of the end of the winter season and the beginning of the longer days of spring; it is observed with a ceremonial bonfire at sunset.
Onam
Onam is a Hindu harvest festival that occurs in the Malayali month of Chingam, which overlaps with August and September in the Gregorian calendar. The 10-day harvest festival celebrates the Malayali New Year and is observed predominantly in the southern Indian state of Kerala. The legend behind the festival tells the story of King Mahabali and his selflessness and devotion to the Hindu god Vishnu.
Pongal
Pongal is a four-day harvest festival of Tamil Nadu, southern India. Pongal is also celebrated by the Tamil diaspora in various other regions of southern India and around the world. The festival is observed in mid-January according to the Tamil solar calendar and marks the beginning of Thai, an auspicious month for the Tamil community that falls between mid-January and mid-February.
Pongal also celebrates the Sunâs transition into the zodiac sign of makara. According to the Gregorian calendar, this festival is usually observed from January 14 to 17 every year. The four days of this festival are dedicated to various deities and agents who are believed to help with a good harvest.
- Bhogi Pongal: The first day of the festival and a time of renewal and cleansing.
- Surya Pongal: The second day, which honors Surya, the Hindu Sun god. It is also the main day of the celebration, marking the start of the month of Thai.
- Mattu Pongal: The third day, which is devoted to worshipping cattle (Tamil: mattu) for their vital role in farming.
- Kaanum (or Kanum) Pongal: The fourth and final day, which focuses on strengthening community bonds. On this day families gather for festive meals, and the young seek blessings from their elders.
