Pola is a thanksgiving festival celebrated by farmers in

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

and

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (; ) is a landlocked States and union territories of India, state in Central India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the List ...

, to acknowledge the importance of bulls and oxen, who are a crucial part of agriculture and farming activities. It falls on the day of the ''Pithori

Amavasya Amāvásyā () is the lunar phase of the new moon in Sanskrit. Indian calendars use 30 lunar phases, called tithi in India. The dark moon tithi is when the Moon is within 12 degrees of the angular distance between the Sun and Moon before conj ...

'' (the new moon day) in the month of Shraavana (usually in August). During Pola, farmers don't work their bulls in the farmland and the day is a school holiday in the rural parts of Maharashtra. The festival is found among Marathas in central and eastern Maharashtra. A similar festival is observed by Farmers in other parts of India, and is called ''Mattu Pongal'' in south and ''Godhan'' in north and west India. In Telangana, a similar festival is celebrated on full moon day and is called ''Eruvaka Purnima''

Celebrations

Figures of animals made for Pola festival

In preparation for the festival, bulls are washed and massaged with oils. They are decorated with shawls, bells, and flowers, their horns are coloured, and they get new reins and ropes. The decorated bulls and oxen are walked in procession to the village field accompanied by music and dancing. The first bullock to go out is an old bullock with a wooden frame (called ''makhar'') tied on its horns. This bullock is made to break a ''toran'', a rope of mango leaves stretched between two posts, and is followed by all the other cattle in the village. Homes in the village are decorated with

rangoli Rangoli is an art form that originates from the Indian subcontinent, in which patterns are created on the floor or a tabletop using materials such as powdered limestone, red ochre, dry rice flour, coloured sand, quartz powder, Petal, flower ...

s and ''toran'' on top of doors. '' Puja thalis'' with kumkum, water, and sweets are prepared, and when the cattle is returned from the procession they are formally greeted by family members, with an earthen lamp with

ghee Ghee is a type of clarified butter, originating from South Asia. It is commonly used for cooking, as a Traditional medicine of India, traditional medicine, and for Hinduism, Hindu religious rituals. Description Ghee is typically prepared by ...

for '' puja and

aarti ''Arti'' () or ''Aarati'' () is a Hindu ritual employed in worship, part of a ''Puja (Hinduism), puja'', in which light from a flame (fuelled by camphor, ghee, or oil) is ritually waved to venerate Hindu deities, deities. ''Arti'' also refers t ...

''. On the following day, children decorate wooden bulls with beads and flowers. Ornaments which are used in India to decorate livestocks of cattle DSCF6078

Ornaments which are used in India to decorate livestocks of cattle DSCF6078

On this day in

, Lodhi Rajputs bring home-made sweets and dishes like thethri, khurmi, chakli to the homes of their sisters and daughters.

References

{{reflist Festivals in Maharashtra Animal worship festivals in India Marathi culture